The newly appointed Pope Leo XIV spoke out against Russia’s continued war against Ukraine in an interview on May 9.
Speaking with Peruvian news outlet Semanario Expresión, Pope Leo condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine, characterizing it as a “a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power.”
Pope Leo was appointed just earlier this week on May 8, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at the age of 88. On May 7, cardinals officially opened the historic conclave in the Vatican to choose the next head of the Catholic Church.
By clearing naming Russia’s imperialist aspirations in Ukraine, the new pope’s comments come as a departure from his predecessor’s position on the war.
While Pope Francis was widely seen as a reformer who led the church with compassion and humanity, his legacy in Ukraine is more complex.
Throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, many Ukrainians viewed Pope Francis’ statements as failing to clearly assign responsibility for the war. His description of Ukrainians and Russians as “brothers” was perceived as painfully out of touch amid Moscow’s brutal war.
Additionally, while Pope Francis repeatedly called for peace, he also failed to call out Russia as the aggressor or to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently congratulated the new pope on his appointment, saying, “Ukraine deeply values the Holy See’s consistent position in upholding international law, condemning the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine, and protecting the rights of innocent civilians.”
As leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo will play a decisive role in shaping how the religious institution responds to Europe’s largest war since World War II.
Most Russians ‘don’t care about the war,’ says journalist Ekaterina Barabash after escaping Russia
In early May, 64-year-old film critic and journalist Ekaterina Barabash made international headlines when it was revealed that she had pulled off a daring escape from house arrest in Russia and sought political asylum in France. Barabash was put under house arrest in February for posts that she had made criticizing Russia’s war against Ukraine. She was accused of spreading “knowingly false” information about the military on her social media. The Kremlin has intensified its crackdown on dissent
