Russia: Francis' Oligarch Friends Suddenly Attack Him (Video)
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"Do not forget your heritage. You are heirs of the great Russia - the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II [a German], the great Russian Empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity. You are the heirs of the great Mother Russia“, Francis said. The great majority of Catholics in Russia are of Polish or Lithuanian origin.
Western oligarch's media used Francis’s remarks to provoke uproar.
Ukrainian Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said Francis' words caused “great pain and concern”.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni tried to defuse the controversy saying on August 29 that Francis wanted to encourage young people to preserve what is positive in Russia's great cultural heritage and "certainly not to exalt imperialistic logics and governing figures."
Speculation is that Francis wants to meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Moscow on his return from Mongolia next week.
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