Pope Francis Raps Russia's 'Infantile And Destructive' War In Ukraine

Pope Francis has offered his most pointed condemnation of the war in Ukraine, calling out Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "infantile and destructive aggression" in Ukraine during a trip to Malta, Euronews reported.

Photo Insert: Pope Francis has already rejected the "special military operation" and "denazify" terminologies, calling Russia's move a war.

The pope said that "some potentate" caught up in "anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts. We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting, and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past."

He told reporters on the way to Malta that a possible trip to the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv was "on the table."

The Vatican has resisted calling out aggressors in order to allow for dialogue and had recently forged unprecedented new relations with the Putin-allied Russian Orthodox Church. The visit to Malta, which was rescheduled from May 2020, was meant to focus on migration, the Associated Press (AP) also reported.

"From the east of Europe, from the land of the sunrise, the dark shadows of war have now spread. We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting, and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past," the pope said, Philip Pullella reported for Reuters.

Moscow denies targeting civilians in the action it launched on Feb. 24, which it dubs a "special military operation" designed not to occupy territory but to demilitarise and "denazify" its neighbor. Francis has already rejected that terminology, calling it a war.

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