Russia says it has received an official statement from the Vatican in which the Holy See apologizes for Pope Francis’ statements regarding Chechen and Buryat soldiers, whom the sovereign pontiff called the most brutal soldiers in Russia, TASS reports.

“At this hour, a call was received through diplomatic channels from the Vatican with the official statement of the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolina, regarding the said statement of the Pontiff,” Maria Zakharova said. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported this during a press briefing.

“This appeal, in particular, states the following: “The State Secretariat of the Vatican apologizes to the Russian side. The Holy See deeply respects all peoples of Russia, their dignity, faith and culture, as well as other countries and peoples of the world,” she said.

Maria Zakharova also told Russian journalists that “the ability to admit one’s mistakes is becoming increasingly rare in modern international communication.”

This situation shows that behind the Vatican’s calls for dialogue is the ability to conduct this dialogue and listen to interlocutors. Such an approach, I will tell you now, causes sincere respect,” she said.

Zakharova concluded by saying that Russia considers the “conflict” with the Vatican “resolved” and that she “looks forward” to continued “constructive interaction” with the Holy See.

What Pope Francis said about Chechen and Buryat soldiers

In an interview with The Jesuit Review at the end of November, Pope Francis stated that “in general, the most cruel [soldați ruși] there are those who are from Russia, but do not have a Russian tradition, for example, Chechens, Buryats and so on.”

“When I talk about Ukraine, I talk about brutality, because I have a lot of information about the brutality of the troops that entered. [în țară]”, the sovereign pontiff also said in an interview published a few days before he spoke about the “martyrdom” in Ukraine, words spoken before thousands of believers gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly audience.

His statements about Chechen and Buryat soldiers were sharply condemned by Russian diplomacy, and Maria Zakharova accused the sovereign pontiff of a scandalous distortion of the truth literally a day after the interview was published.

“This is no longer Russophobia, it is a distortion, I don’t even know at what level. Remember, in the 90s and early 2000s, we were told exactly the opposite, that it is the Russians, the Slavs, who are tormenting the peoples of the Caucasus, and now we are told that it is the peoples of the Caucasus who are tormenting the Russians. . Apparently, this is a distortion of the truth,” she said on November 29.

The sovereign pontiff, also criticized by Ramzan Kadyrov

Literally a day later, the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, also spoke on this topic, saying that Pope Francis is a “victim of propaganda.”

“How can you understand, just by looking, what nationality is this Russian soldier from this unit, when more than 190 nationalities live in our country?” Kadyrov asked rhetorically in his statement on the Telegram channel.

The Chechen leader reminded Pope Francis about the “crusades” and the “inquisition”, saying that “of course the head of the Vatican will not be able to answer this question”.

“He simply became a victim of propaganda and stubbornness of foreign media,” he wrote, also assuring that “there are no alcoholics or drug addicts among Chechens, they are all very religious.”

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