Ukraine responds to pope\u2019s remarks on \u201cgreat Russia\u201d \u201cof so much humanity\u201d. Putin agrees to visit China in October, sources tell Bloomberg. A Russian missile strike kills four in Poltava region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope Francis drew condemnation from Ukraine after he praised imperialist Russia of Peter the Great and Catherine II that he called \u201ca country of great humanity\u201d and urged the young Russians not to give up their legacy. Between August 23 and August 27, the Russians ages 16 to 30 participated in the All-Russian Meeting of Catholic Youth in St. Petersburg. During a video conference on August 25, Pope Francis delivered remarks to young Russians gathered in St. Catherine\u2019s Basilica in St. Petersburg. According to the Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, the pontiff concluded his remarks, saying: \u201cNever forget your heritage. You are heirs of the great Russia \u2014 the great Russia of saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, Catherine II, the great, enlightened Russian Empire of so much culture, of so much humanity. You are the heirs of the great Mother Russia, go ahead. And thank you. Thank you for your way of being, for your way of being Russian.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pope\u2019s remarks were included on the website of Moscow\u2019s Catholic archdiocese. A clip of his speech posted online shows the pope speaking these words. The Holy See press office released the text of the pope\u2019s address that omitted his words about \u201cthe great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II\u201d. The official text quotes him as saying: \u201cI wish you, young Russians, the vocation to be artisans of peace in the midst of so many conflicts, in the midst of so much polarization on all sides, which plague our world. I invite you to be sowers, to sow seeds of reconciliation, little seeds that in this winter of war will not sprout in the frozen ground for the time being, but will blossom in a future spring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pope\u2019s remarks that invoked Russian imperialist legacy did not go unnoticed in Ukraine as Putin often alludes to Russia\u2019s imperial history to justify his invasion of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spokesperson for Ukraine\u2019s foreign ministry Oleh Nikolenko reacted to pope\u2019s remarks, saying: \u201cIt is with such imperialist propaganda, \u2018spiritual scraps\u2019 and the \u2018need\u2019 to save \u2018the great Mother Russia\u2019 that the Kremlin justifies the murders of thousands of Ukrainian men and women and the destruction of hundreds of Ukrainian towns and villages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is very unfortunate that Russian great-power ideas, which are actually the cause of Russia\u2019s chronic aggressiveness, knowingly or unknowingly, sound from the lips of the Pope, whose mission, in our understanding, is precisely to open the eyes of Russian youth to a destructive course of the current Russian leadership,\u201d Nikolenko said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said in a statement that \u201ctogether with all citizens of our country, [it] condemns the ideology of the \u2018Russian world\u2019 and the entire criminal way of \u2018being Russian\u2019. We hope the Holy Father will hear our voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement issued by Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, also says: \u201cIt is with great pain and concern that we learned of the words attributed to His Holiness Pope Francis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe hope that these words of the Holy Father were spoken spontaneously, without any attempt at historical evaluations, let alone support of Russia\u2019s imperialist ambitions. Nonetheless, we share the great pain which they caused, not only among the episcopate, clergy, monastics, and faithful of our Church, but also among other denominations and religious organizations. At the same time, we are also aware of the deep disappointment that they have caused in society,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overnight on August 28, a Russian missile strike hit the village of Hoholeve in Poltava region. Ukraine\u2019s Minister of Interior, Ihor Klymenko said the strike caused an explosion at an oil mill. Five people were injured, all are employees of the plant. The severity of the injuries varies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The death toll from the Russian missile strike on Hoholeve rose to four, head of the Poltava regional military administration Dmytro Lunin said on Telegram Tuesday. \u201cOn the second day after the attack, rescue workers discovered the body of the fourth victim,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lunin extended his condolences to families and loved ones of the victims of Russia\u2019s terror attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to make his first foreign trip since a warrant for his arrest on alleged war crimes was issued by the International Criminal Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kremlin is preparing Putin\u2019s visit to China for the Belt and Road Forum in October, according to three people with knowledge of the matter contacted by Bloomberg, who asked not to be identified because the issue is sensitive. Putin has accepted the invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the event, one of the people said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin is only willing to visit countries where his security service can completely guarantee his safety, and China is one of those places, according to two of the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin hasn\u2019t left Russia since the court in The Hague announced the warrant in March, though he has visited Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He skipped the BRICS summit in South Africa last week after the government there made clear it would have to comply with the order to arrest him as a signatory to the ICC. He also told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he won\u2019t attend next month\u2019s Group of 20 summit, though India isn\u2019t a signatory to the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin last visited China in February 2022 \u2014 less than three weeks before he ordered the invasion \u2014 when he attended the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and held talks with Xi at which the two sides declared a \u201cno limits\u201d partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 123 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute are legally obligated to arrest the Russian leader if he sets foot in any of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n