Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. took a shot Thursday at Pope Francis' recent comments that "NATO barking at Russia's door" may have led to Vladimir Putin's invasion of her country.
"It's unfortunate," Ambassador Oksana Markarova told Newsmax. She was reacting to the Pope's interview Tuesday with the Italian publication Corriere della Sera in which he said the true "scandal" of the Russo-Ukraine War was the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.
This, in the opinion of the leader of the world's Roman Catholics, caused Putin to "react badly and unleash the conflict."
Ambassador Markarova told Newsmax Pope Francis' assessment was "completely wrong," that "there was no provocation whatsoever" because Ukraine had not joined NATO and had done nothing to instigate an attack from Russia.
The ambassador spoke to us at a Washington, D.C., coffee event hosted by The Christian Science Monitor 71 days after Russian forces struck at Ukraine.
In the same interview with the Italian journal, Pope Francis strongly hinted that he would like to be a mediator in the conflict, and would meet with Putin before he met with Ukraine President Voldymyr Zelenskyy.
"I feel like before going to Kyiv, I must go to Moscow," he said.
Asked if she thought it was a good idea to have the Pope as mediator, Markarova vigorously shook her head and said, "No, not at all."
The ambassador, who is Greek Catholic, also said the Pope made a mistake in having a Ukrainian and Russian jointly carry the cross in the high Catholic ritual of Stations of the Cross on Good Friday (April 15).
"It is very premature to be doing that," she said.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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