The Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican, Andriy Yurash, has accused Russia of trying to exert influence and spread propaganda across the Catholic Church:
“Hundreds of clergymen of the Russian Church worked here for the relevant Soviet-Russian departments, covering themselves with cassocks,” the ambassador said in an interview with Glavcom.
He also noted that many Catholic clergy in the Vatican still perceive Russia as a “lost sheep” and the Russian Church – as a “religious institution” despite its shortcomings.
In addition, the ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash, accused the newly appointed representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Antoniy, of ties to the Kremlin.
“Antoniy is the successor of Moscow’s infamous bishop Hilarion…He knows Italian well and is familiar with the situation in the Vatican. He often meets with the Pope… And it is not ruled out that in addition to representing the Russian Orthodox Church, he may also perform certain tasks of the Russian government,” Ambassador Yurash said.
He emphasized that Metropolitan Antoniy is “very close to Patriarch Kirill” and that in the past, he served as a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in Italy.
