Lithuania summons Vatican ambassador after Pope Francis praises Russian Empire

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Vatican’s ambassador to provide an explanation following Pope Francis' recent remarks in which he praised the "greatness" of the Russian Empire, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported on Aug. 30.

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"The Foreign Ministry has invited the apostolic nuncio for a conversation in early September when Archbishop Petar Rajic will return from his vacation," said Paulina Levickytė, the ministry’s spokesperson.

On Aug. 25, Pope Francis delivered a video address to a meeting with Russian catholic youth in St. Petersburg.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Moscow quoted his address to the participants of the event:

"Never forget your heritage. You are the heirs of the great Russia: the great Russia of saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, that empire — a great, enlightened, [country of] great culture and great humanity. Never give up this heritage, you are the heirs of the great Mother Russia, go forward with this. And thank you. Thank you for your way of being, for your way of being Russians."

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The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called his words “imperial propaganda,” which the Kremlin uses to justify the murder of thousands of Ukrainians and the destruction of hundreds of towns and villages.

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At the same time, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav, said that the pontiff's words were voiced "spontaneously, without any attempts at historical assessments, let alone support for Russia's imperialist ambitions." He noted that these remarks caused deep disappointment in society and hurt representatives of religious organizations.

Read also: Kremlin pleased by Pope’s acknowledgment of Russian cultural heritage, Vatican ‘clarifies’ statement

The Apostolic Nunciature (the Vatican's diplomatic mission) in Ukraine released a statement saying that the Pontifical Representation "firmly rejects the aforementioned interpretations, as Pope Francis has never endorsed imperialistic notions" and is a "staunch opponent and critic of any form of imperialism or colonialism.

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