The Head of the UGCC: "I personally told the Pope that the 'Great Russian Culture' is a myth"
Pope Francis still believes in the "great Russian culture." Such an opinion was expressed by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), during an interview with "Glavkom". He recalled how he personally explained to the Pontiff why he was mistaken.
During a press conference last autumn, the Pope was asked about Ukraine. Instead of addressing Ukraine, he started talking about... the Russian people. His Beatitude Sviatoslav was the first to meet with the Pope the next morning after these statements. It was a personal audience.
"At that time, the Pope said, 'How can Russians act like this? They have such a great culture.' Then he mentioned... Dostoevsky. So I asked him directly, 'Father, do you know what Ukraine says about you today?' He replied, 'No.' Then I explained further, 'Ukrainians say that you didn't read Dostoevsky properly.' He asked why. 'You see,' I told him, 'today we all feel that all the ideas about the "great Russian culture" are a myth. Because in Ukraine, we can testify to a completely different reality,'" said the Head of the UGCC.
Today, the Apostolic See, even Europe, and other international institutions are in danger, just like before the start of the Second World War, according to the Primate.
"When philosophers and cultural figures heard the words 'German' and 'German nation,' they imagined German poets, philosophers, musicians—the great German culture that was the cornerstone of European culture. Instead, the Nazis were in power in Germany, criminals. And then the whole world asked, 'How did it happen that such a supposedly great European cultural nation was capable of committing what Auschwitz symbolized, namely war crimes— the extermination of millions of Jews? Today, we have the same situation," said the Head of the UGCC.
During that meeting, His Beatitude Sviatoslav explicitly told the Pope that the "great Russian culture" is a myth.
"And at that meeting, I said it directly. I told him, 'Let us help you if needed. We will even help create a pool of journalists who can help articulate your message correctly, the message you want to convey to Ukraine,'" said the Head of the UGCC.
