'Don’t forget your heritage,' Pope Francis urged an audience of young Russian Catholics on Friday, in comments that sparked anger in Kyiv and delight from the Kremlin.
The pope was strongly criticized by Ukrainian leaders, who said he was repeating Russian nationalist talking points that are used to justify the Kremlin's war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has compared himself to the expansionist Peter the Great and spoken of Ukraine being part of a historic greater Russia.
Amid growing pressure, the Vatican said on Tuesday that it was “clear” from the context of the pontiff’s comments that they were not designed to praise Russian imperialism. "It is deep and the legacy is very old, not restricted to Peter I. The entire society and schools work hard to hand over this to young people. The pontiff going along with this effort is really good and makes us glad," Peskov said.
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