Roman Catholic bishop criticized Ukrainians who underestimated the anti-war efforts of Pope Francis.

The head of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr diocese, Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, points out that some Ukrainians were unjustly critical of Pope Francis, not knowing or ignoring his true efforts to support Ukraine. He recalled the first gesture of the pontiff when he personally visited the Russian embassy in the Vatican. Kryvytskyi stated this in an interview with 'Hlavkom'.The bishop noted that initially, the Pope himself went to the Russian embassy. Information about this was in the public domain, although 'hardly noticed' since the situation was exceptional.

Pope do not go to embassies. Imagine that a head of state - any - simply goes to someone else's embassy. This is beyond all protocols. If necessary, the ambassador can be summoned, etc. ... But he went himself, you understand? He went to express his 'fie' to the Russians. And it was literally the day after the invasion,' Kryvytskyi said.

After Francis's death, Ukrainian historian Oleksandr Zinchenko spoke about how the Pope was a 'secret Santa' for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and paid for the purchase of two 'Mavics'. Kryvytskyi stated that he has no details about this.'I am not included in the Santa's secretariat, so I probably do not know these details. I know one thing: Ukraine has always been on Pope Francis's heart. People who knew him personally will confirm this. Something was done officially, like the 'Pope for Ukraine' program (a humanitarian mission that lasted from 2016 to 2021), something - unofficially. By the way, the 'Pope for Ukraine' program raised over $16 million. So the subjective criticism of the Pope does not best characterize part of the Ukrainian citizens. Because we really lost a great advocate for Ukraine,' the bishop noted.Kryvytskyi also commented on the Pope's words about the 'white flag'. He expressed the opinion that one should not criticize the Pope based on situations that became media 'shots in the leg'. Conducting his interview, it was fully understood the context in which the Pope's words were said.

We all have the right to emotions. But it is wrong to build criticism on a situation that became a media 'shot in the leg'. Has anyone actually seen that interview in full? ... ('I think the strongest is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about people and has the courage of the white flag, and conducts negotiations,' the Pope literally said in an interview with the Swiss broadcasting company in March 2024)

According to Kryvytskyi, Pope Francis only picked up the idea of the symbol of the 'white flag', which was suggested by the interviewer. He noted that this symbol signifies not only capitulation but also a pause in hostilities or a truce.Kryvytskyi added that sometimes Pope Francis does not always succeed in responding to specific situations, and his 'media shots in the leg' were improvisations on the given topic. He emphasized that it is important to understand the context and other actions of the Pope, which neutralized his 'shots in the leg'.Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. He held the papacy from March 13, 2013.After the death of Pope Francis, discussions began within the Catholic community about a possible successor from Africa. Vitaliy Kryvytskyi shared his thoughts on this prospect in an exclusive interview with 'Hlavkom'.The choice of a successor will be an important signal for the Catholic community and the world and will determine the direction of the Church's development in the coming years.