Former Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis, who has spoken with Pope Francis on several occasions, believes that his team influences the latter's ambivalent position on the Russian-Ukrainian war. It includes Catholics from all over the world with a particular position on Russia and Ukraine.
Vējonis shared this opinion in an interview with Ukrinform while commenting on the ambiguous statements and actions of Pope Francis regarding the current war.
He noted that the Pope, of course, has his own clear worldview, and as a pontiff, he wishes for “peace in the whole world.” “Yet, like in any other state, the administration plays a big role in the Vatican. You can be a leader, but you have a team... We need to take into account that Catholics from all over the world, from different countries, with different views, including on Russia, Ukraine, and Europe, work alongside him. They also influence the selection of information, the formation of a position,” said Vējonis.
According to him, Pope Francis generally tries to balance his attitude on various issues, and not take one side or the other. “Of course, in many cases, this is quite normal. But now, it seems to me, the situation (regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war - ed.) is such that sooner or later he will have to take a side,” the Latvian politician said.
In general, Vējonis believes that after five meetings with Pope Francis, they have developed “friendly, trusting communication.”
Raimonds Vējonis was the Minister of Defense (2014-2015) and the ninth President of Latvia (2015-2019). He is currently serving his second term as the Chairman of the Latvian Basketball Association (LBS). In this position, he has been actively supporting Ukraine, Ukrainian athletes, and Ukrainian refugees in Latvia.