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It seems that “the preferential option for the poor” and indigenous peoples and culture, promoted by Pope Francis, is not for the indigenous peoples of Russia. Putin has sent them to die in Ukraine and the Pope blames them, instead of Putin, for atrocities in Ukraine.

In an interview published on November 28th (see further below), Pope Francis was forced to admit that “the Russian State invaded Ukraine”. However, he blamed the poor indigenous peoples of Russia, which he deemed “not of the Russian tradition” for “cruelty” in Ukraine. The Buryati, who he names, are sometimes Russian Orthodox (Christian), sometimes Buddhist. They just happen to be mostly poor indigenous peoples, who were invaded by the Russian Empire, had rights stripped by Putin, and were forced into the Russian military – either through conscription or unemployment.

In this interview, Pope Francis proved himself a better propagandist for Putin and servant of Putin, than anyone in the Kremlin, as well as a racist. Pope Francis taught psychology; he spent his life under authoritarianism, and it shows.

Apparently “the preferential option for the poor” and indigenous peoples and culture, promoted by Pope Francis, is only for Latin Americans and not for the indigenous peoples of Russia. Or perhaps the preferential option for the poor is only for those who want to migrate to the USA and Europe? His compatriot, Che Guevara’s “conception of a borderless, united Hispanic America sharing a common Latino heritage was a theme that recurred prominently during his later revolutionary activities.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara

Sending the poor indigenous of Russia to die in Ukraine conveniently frees the land for resource extraction by Russia. Latin American migration to the USA opens the land for agribusiness and mining, as well.

According to Putin: “Fidel Castro devoted his whole life to the selfless struggle for the triumph of the ideas of goodness, peace and justice, for the freedom of oppressed peoples, for a decent life for ordinary people and social equality.” (Russian President Putin: November 22, 2022) https://web.archive.org/web/20221123163252/http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69914

“Pope Francis Will Celebrate Mass Next To Che Guevara Portrait: The two men were born less than 10 years apart in Argentina.” By  Antonia Blumberg Aug 5, 2015, Updated Jan 3, 2017 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pope-francis-che-guevara_n_55c23a99e4b0d9b28f050cab Che Guevara lived and studied in Cordoba, where Pope Francis did his early training and spent a couple of mysterious “dark years” of exile. Their time doesn’t seem to overlap, however. They both spent time in Buenos Aires, as well.

How much of this is because of the Pope’s refusal to name Putin and Russia as the aggressor in Ukraine? Hispanic-Americans are 3 times more likely to support Russia than non-hispanic whites. See YouGov survey: https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/h45mt3xoby/econTabReport.pdf#page=16 This is a long-term trend, as is the huge growth in the US “Hispanic” population. https://today.yougov.com/topics/travel/trackers/friend-enemy-russia?crossBreak=hispanic Latin America and Spain are well-known for their histories of authoritarianism that pre-date the existence of the the United States. The Spanish version of Vatican news emphasizes the positive things that the Pope said about Russia (see below), whereas the English version excludes his apparent pandering to Putin: https://web.archive.org/web/20221128142129/https://www.vaticannews.va/es/papa/news/2022-11/papa-francisco-entrevista-america-magazine-revista-jesuita.html https://web.archive.org/web/20221128143157/https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-11/pope-polarization-is-not-catholic-dialogue-is-the-only-way.html

The Pope has had time to investigate, reflect and learn about this matter, but prefers to make racist assertions and offer cover for Putin: “Buryats in Bucha: the Biggest Myth of the War” https://freeburyatia.org/en/buryats-against-war/

Buddhist Buryats are apparently Tibetan style Buddhists: “Pope declines Dalai Lama meeting in Rome” 12 December 2014 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30455187

Pope Francis still avoided naming Putin and blames the indigenous peoples!:
“When I speak about Ukraine, I speak about the cruelty because I have much information about the cruelty of the troops that come in. Generally, the cruelest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryati and so on. Certainly, the one who invades is the Russian state. This is very clear. Sometimes I try not to specify so as not to offend and rather condemn in general, although it is well known whom I am condemning. It is not necessary that I put a name and surname…. Why do I not name Putin? Because it is not necessary; it is already known…. Everyone knows my stance, with Putin or without Putin, without naming him…. https://web.archive.org/web/20221128110340/https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/11/28/pope-francis-interview-america-244225 Spanish original excerpt blaming the indigenous peoples: “Cuando hablo de Ucrania, hablo de pueblo mártir, de un pueblo martirizado. Si hay un pueblo martirizado hay alguien que lo martiriza. Cuando hablo de Ucrania, hablo de la crueldad porque tengo mucha información de la crueldad de las tropas que vienen. Generalmente los más crueles son quizás los pueblos que son de Rusia, pero no son de la tradición rusa, como los chechenos, los buryatis, etc. Ciertamente quien invade es el Estado ruso. Eso es muy claro.”

“Immediately after the publication of info on the tragedy in Bucha on April 3, journalist Liliya Ragutskaya of the Obozrevatel (Ukrainian media) published old (dated 2019/2020) photographs of Yakut conscripts from the 64th motorized infantry brigade with the flag of Yakutia (region in Russia), calling them “Buryat invaders who committed atrocities in Bucha”
… this is an old photo from 2019/2020 … Many of the conscripts depicted in the photo had finished their national service a long time ago and had long since returned home. By the end of April, another story appeared, testifying that “the Buryats committed mass rapes and executed people.”…. This story was analyzed in detail and exposed by the Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Kanibolotsky, whose parents were in Bucha during the Russian occupation. According to him: “parents did not see a single Buryat or Yakut (and not a single Chechen) among the occupiers of Bucha… Buryats are in the minority wherever they live and wherever they serve… many people from other regions of Russia serve in Buryatia… Servicemen from Povolzhye, the Urals, North Caucasus and Western Siberia serve in Buryatia. There is no such thing as an “ethnic unit” comprised entirely of Buryats…” See: “Buryats in Bucha: the Biggest Myth of the War” https://freeburyatia.org/en/buryats-against-war/

“Former Soviet spy: We created Liberation Theology”: “The movement was born in the KGB, and it had a KGB-invented name: Liberation Theology. During those years, the KGB had a penchant for “liberation” movements… “ https://web.archive.org/web/20220117034828/https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/31919/former-soviet-spy-we-created-liberation-theology

Pope Benedict reissued warning on Liberation Theology, 5 Dec. 2009: “In this sense, beloved brothers, it is worth remembering that last August the instruction Libertatis nuntius of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on some aspects of the theology of liberation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary; In it, the danger implied by the uncritical acceptance, by some theologians, of theses and methodologies from Marxism was underlined. Its more or less visible consequences, made up of rebellion, division, dissent, offense and anarchy, are still being felt, creating great suffering in your diocesan communities and a serious loss of vitality. I beg all those who have somehow felt attracted, involved and affected in their interior by certain deceitful principles of liberation theology, to once again confront the aforementioned Instruction, welcoming the benign light that it offers with full hands…“ https://web.archive.org/web/20100108110443/http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2009/december/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20091205_ad-limina-brasile_sp.html

Pope Francis appears willfully ignorant:
“The historical roots of the Buryat culture are related to the Mongolic peoples. After Buryatia was incorporated into Russia, it was exposed to two traditions – Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity. Buryats west of Lake Baikal and Olkhon (Irkut Buryats), are more “Russified”, and they soon abandoned nomadism for agriculture, whereas the eastern (Transbaikal) Buryats are closer to the Khalkha, may live in yurts and are mostly Buddhists. In 1741, the Tibetan branch of Buddhism was recognized as one of the official religions in Russia, and the first Buryat datsan (Buddhist monastery) was built.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buryats

Putin would love for the Buryats to all be dead so that it’s even easier to steal their resources: “The republic’s natural resources include gold, tungsten, zinc, uranium, and more.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buryatia#Natural_resources

The governor of Buryatia was appointed by Putin:
“autonomy has been curtailed following the 2004 law passed by Vladimir Putin that decreed regional governors and presidents were to be appointed, rather than directly elected.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buryatia

“Ethnic Minorities Hit Hardest By Russia’s Mobilization, Activists Say” By Leyla Latypova Sep. 27, 2022 Excerpt: “Many activists blamed regional leaders keen to impress the Kremlin for the speed of mobilization in areas with large ethnic minority communities. “The over-eagerness of the head of Buryatia, Aleksei Tsydenov, plays an important role,” activist Garmazhapova told The Moscow Times.  “If Vladimir Putin told him to do a pole dance, he would do it. And just as easily he will send young men from Buryatia to war… He doesn’t see them as people, he sees them as a means to achieve his [political] goals,” she said.”  https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/09/27/ethnic-minorities-hit-hardest-by-russias-mobilization-activists-say-a78879

“The poverty of their home regions means that, for many young Buryats in Russia, joining the Armed Forces is the only way to get a stable income… Many of the killed Buryat soldiers were university graduates who you might not expect to be in the army, according to Vyushkova, including teachers, lawyers and a programmer. “They couldn’t find any jobs,” Vyushkova said.” See: “‘This War Is a Vampire’: Buryat Activists Protest Ukraine Invasion” By Irina Shcherbakova Updated: April 27, 2022 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/04/27/this-war-is-a-vampire-buryat-activists-protest-ukraine-invasion-a77469

“Russia’s republics, bled dry by Putin, begin to demand independence from his rule: Separatist movements are stirring in some of Russia’s 22 republics, as war sharpens resentment over economic neglect and suppression of indigenous cultures” By Kieron Monks June 22, 2022 6:00 am (Updated 1:10 pm) https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putin-using-ukraine-war-russia-independence-moscow-1698699

In the original Spanish when Pope Francis mentions Holodomor, he uses this word “antecedente”, which can be translated as “background”, rather than antecedent. Translated as “background”, it doesn’t necessarily refer to continuity of behavior by Russia: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/antecedente “Y quisiera que mencionara que en estos días es el aniversario del Holodomor, el genocidio que Stalin hizo con los ucranianos (en 1932-33). Creo que eso conviene mencionarlo como un antecedente histórico de la lucha.”

Excerpt from the interview of Pope Francis:
“Gerard O’Connell:
Holy Father, about Ukraine:
“Many in the United States have been confused by your seeming unwillingness to directly criticize Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, preferring instead to speak more generally of the need for an end to war, an end to mercenary activity rather than Russian attacks, and to the traffic in arms. How would you explain your position on this war to Ukrainians, or Americans and others who support Ukraine?”

Pope Francis:
“When I speak about Ukraine, I speak of a people who are martyred. If you have a martyred people, you have someone who martyrs them. When I speak about Ukraine, I speak about the cruelty because I have much information about the cruelty of the troops that come in. Generally, the cruelest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryati and so on. Certainly, the one who invades is the Russian state. This is very clear. Sometimes I try not to specify so as not to offend and rather condemn in general, although it is well known whom I am condemning. It is not necessary that I put a name and surname.

On the second day of the war, I went to the Russian embassy [to the Holy See], an unusual gesture because the pope never goes to an embassy. And there I said to the ambassador to tell [Vladimir] Putin that I was willing to travel on condition that he allowed me a tiny window to negotiate. [Sergey] Lavrov, the foreign minister at a high level, replied with a very nice letter from which I understood that for the time being it was not necessary.

I spoke to President Zelensky three times by phone. And I work in general with receiving lists of prisoners, both civilian prisoners and military prisoners, and I have these sent to the Russian government, and the response has always been very positive.

I also thought of traveling, but I made the decision: If I travel, I go to Moscow and to Kyiv, to both, not to one place only. And I never gave the impression that I was covering up the aggression. I received here in this hall, three or four times, a delegation from the Ukrainian government. And we work together.

Why do I not name Putin? Because it is not necessary; it is already known. However, sometimes people latch onto a detail. Everyone knows my stance, with Putin or without Putin, without naming him.

Some cardinals went to Ukraine: Cardinal Czerny went twice; [Archbishop] Gallagher, who is responsible for [relations with] states, spent four days in Ukraine, and I received a report of what he saw; and Cardinal Krajewski went four times. He goes with his van loaded with things and spent last Holy Week in Ukraine. I mean the presence of the Holy See with the cardinals is very strong, and I am in continual contact with people in positions of responsibility.

And I should like to mention that there is in these days the anniversary of the Holodomor, the genocide that Stalin committed against the Ukrainians (in 1932-33). I believe it is appropriate to mention it as a historical antecedent of the [present] conflict.

The position of the Holy See is to seek peace and to seek an understanding. The diplomacy of the Holy See is moving in this direction and, of course, is always willing to mediate.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20221128110340/https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/11/28/pope-francis-interview-america-244225

Pope Benedict warns about Liberation Theology, 5 Dec. 2009:
“In this sense, beloved brothers, it is worth remembering that last August the instruction Libertatis nuntius of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on some aspects of the theology of liberation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary; In it, the danger implied by the uncritical acceptance, by some theologians, of theses and methodologies from Marxism was underlined. Its more or less visible consequences, made up of rebellion, division, dissent, offense and anarchy, are still being felt, creating great suffering in your diocesan communities and a serious loss of vitality. I beg all those who have somehow felt attracted, involved and affected in their interior by certain deceitful principles of liberation theology, to once again confront the aforementioned Instruction, welcoming the benign light that it offers with full hands; I remind everyone that “the “supreme norm of her faith” [of the Church] comes from the unity that the Spirit has established between Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church in such a reciprocity that the three cannot subsist independently” (John Paul II, Fides et ratio, 55). That, in the sphere of ecclesial organizations and communities, the forgiveness offered and received in the name and for the love of the Holy Trinity, whom we adore in our hearts, put an end to the tribulation of the beloved Church that pilgrimages in the lands of the Holy Cross.

Venerable brothers in the episcopate, in union with Christ the Virgin Mary precedes us and guides us, so loved and venerated in your dioceses and throughout Brazil. In her we find the true, pure and undistorted essence of the Church, and thus, through her, we learn to know and love the mystery of the Church that lives in history, we deeply feel part of her, we also become we become “ecclesial souls”, learning to resist the “internal secularization” that threatens the Church and its teachings.

At the same time that I ask the Lord to shed the abundance of his light on the entire Brazilian school world, I entrust its protagonists to the protection of the Most Holy Virgin, and I impart to you, to your priests, to the men and women religious, to to the committed laity and to all the faithful of your dioceses a paternal apostolic blessing.”

Excerpt from Pope Benedict’s : DISCURSO DEL SANTO PADRE BENEDICTO XVI 
AL QUINTO GRUPO DE OBISPOS DE BRASIL, REGIONES SUR 3 Y 4,
EN VISITA «AD LIMINA APOSTOLORUM” Sábado 5 de diciembre de 2009
“En este sentido, amados hermanos, vale la pena recordar que, el pasado mes de agosto, cumplió veinticinco años la instrucción Libertatis nuntius de la Congregación para la doctrina de la fe sobre algunos aspectos de la teología de la liberación; en ella se subrayaba el peligro que implicaba la aceptación acrítica, por parte de algunos teólogos, de tesis y metodologías provenientes del marxismo. Sus consecuencias más o menos visibles, hechas de rebelión, división, disenso, ofensa y anarquía, todavía se dejan sentir, creando en vuestras comunidades diocesanas un gran sufrimiento y una grave pérdida de fuerzas vivas. Suplico a todos los que de algún modo se han sentido atraídos, involucrados y afectados en su interior por ciertos principios engañosos de la teología de la liberación, que vuelvan a confrontarse con la mencionada Instrucción, acogiendo la luz benigna que ofrece a manos llenas; recuerdo a todos que “la “norma suprema de su fe” [de la Iglesia] proviene de la unidad que el Espíritu ha puesto entre la Sagrada Tradición, la Sagrada Escritura y el Magisterio de la Iglesia en una reciprocidad tal que los tres no pueden subsistir de forma independiente” (Juan Pablo II, Fides et ratio, 55). Que, en el ámbito de los organismos y comunidades eclesiales, el perdón ofrecido y recibido en nombre y por amor de la Santísima Trinidad, que adoramos en nuestro corazón, ponga fin a la tribulación de la amada Iglesia que peregrina en las tierras de la Santa Cruz.

Venerados hermanos en el episcopado, en la unión con Cristo nos precede y nos guía la Virgen María, tan amada y venerada en vuestras diócesis y en todo Brasil. En ella encontramos la verdadera esencia, pura y no deformada, de la Iglesia, y así, por medio de ella, aprendemos a conocer y amar el misterio de la Iglesia que vive en la historia, nos sentimos profundamente parte de ella, nos convertimos también nosotros en “almas eclesiales”, aprendiendo a resistir a la “secularización interna” que amenaza a la Iglesia y sus enseñanzas.

A la vez que pido al Señor que derrame la abundancia de su luz sobre todo el mundo escolar brasileño, encomiendo a sus protagonistas a la protección de la Virgen santísima, y os imparto a vosotros, a vuestros sacerdotes, a los religiosos y religiosas, a los laicos comprometidos y a todos los fieles de vuestras diócesis una paterna bendición apostólica”https://web.archive.org/web/20100108110443/http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2009/december/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20091205_ad-limina-brasile_sp.html

“Fr Mauro Inzoli, accused of abusing dozens of children over a 10-year period, was dismissed under Benedict XVI in 2012, but Francis reinstated him in 2014, allowing him to live a “life of prayer and penance” while restricting his public ministry. In November 2016 Inzoli was convicted by an Italian court and sentenced to four years and nine months imprisonment. Seven months later, Francis dismissed him for the second time.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/31/zero-tolerance-the-facts-dont-support-the-popes-claims-on-child-abuse

UN: Rape Part of Russia’s Military Strategy; Putin on Record Regarding Rape

Putin Honors Russian Far East 64th Brigade Accused of Raping and Butchering Civilians at Bucha Ukraine; Is Putin Sending Chinese and North Korean Soldiers to Ukraine?