Pope should have read Dostoevsky better, says Ukrainian diplomat

This statement by the diplomat attracted much attention the last few days. Pope Francis said last Sunday that he highly appreciates the Russian people and Russian humanism. He then referred to the classic author Dostoevsky who “still inspires everyone on the path of Christianity.” That was reported by Ria Novosti on Monday. The world-famous author is known for his piety and commitment to the Orthodox Church.

In a Facebook post, the Ukrainian ambassador, Oksana Markarova wrote that the Pope has interpreted the writings of Dostoevsky differently. “Otherwise, his Holiness would not be surprised by the cruelty of the Russians (which is naturally inherent to them)”, Markarova wrote. She states that several other works of Russian authors show that Moscow does not know any smell of humanism.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican published a similar statement, IRP.news reports. On his Facebook page, Andrii Yurash writes that one only has to visit Ukraine to see the Russian “humanism” the Pope refers to. “It would be easy to see how 4.5 million people are without electricity and water and enjoy this Russian humanity”, he states. According to Yurash, the military launching rockets are not mercenaries but followers of Dostoevsky.

Prisoners

Meanwhile, the Pope remains polite under the accusations. He proposes that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine take place in the Vatican as a neutral place, as reported by Interfax. During the same flight from Bahrain, the Pope said that the Vatican “is working to find solutions.”

Furthermore, Ria Novosti writes that the Pope also contributed to the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. Both countries “take into account the lists regularly transmitted to us by Pope Francis”, Alexander Adeev, the Russian ambassador to the Vatican, said.