“Nuclear Disaster” – Pope Francis Issues Statement
(NewsReady.com) – Pope Francis stepped away from the Vatican’s church bells earlier this week to instead chime in on the war in Ukraine. Speaking at a general audience appearance on August 24, the Catholic church leader issued a strong warning: Russia and Ukraine must find ways to work together before the battle triggers an unprecedented nuclear disaster.
Pope Francis initially lamented the human cost of war and expressed sorrow over the recent death of Darya Dugina in Moscow, labeling her an innocent. “That poor girl,” he explained. “…thrown in the air by a bomb under the seat of a car…”
Dugina was the daughter of Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, a man with extremely close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Pope’s sadness over her death almost immediately ignited a firestorm of debate and criticism from the public. Detractors complained that she didn’t deserve compassion because of her family ties and because she had personally expressed direct support for Putin.
Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican criticized Pope Francis for referring to Darya Dugina, daughter of a prominent Russian ultra-nationalist, who was killed by a car bomb near Moscow, as an innocent victim of war https://t.co/qXE3RPLD7c
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 24, 2022
Ukrainian Ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash, was especially outspoken about the matter. He blasted the Pope in a tweet, calling the comments “disappointing” and accusing the religious leader of ignoring Russia’s aggression throughout the war.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See has criticized recent statements by @Pontifex on the war. It was “not appropriate to put Ukraine and Russia on the same level in this situation,” Andrii Yurash told KNA. Francis had called for peace without naming Russia as the aggressor. pic.twitter.com/gUAArwUT2K
— KNA (@KNA_Redaktion) August 24, 2022
Pope Francis also took the time to raise awareness about another looming issue: the potential for a disaster to unfold in Zaporizhzhia if the battle between the two sides continues. He said the two sides must take “concrete steps” toward peace.
Zaporizhzhia is home to one of the 10 largest nuclear power plants in the world. According to Reuters, both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of deliberately attacking the facility in recent weeks. That triggered the UN to recommend total demilitarization of the area.
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