Ukrainian religious scholar Lyudmyla Filipovych, commenting on the Pope’s words about a great Russia, said in an interview with the kp.ua news and analysis website that the Vatican has historically never been favorable to Ukraine.

“The Holy See has always viewed us as a field for its international political and religious activities. Papal legates were constantly present on our territory,” Filipovych said.

She added that “people of the type like Francis and of the same age already live in a very different world. They lose their orientation in real life, and they have little interest in what is happening in the world. They have practically lived their lives. It’s not ageism (age discrimination), but the years affect the consciousness and mental state. By the way, it’s bad enough that the pope, like the patriarchs, are elected for life. And only recently has there been a tradition to relinquish his ministry for age and health reasons (Pope Benedict). Frankly speaking, many in the Vatican expect the same from Francis, that he will leave the Holy See.”

The religious scholar also noted that the pope’s words dealt a serious blow to the Vatican’s credibility.

“I have already said that he is a completely worthless politician and very bad at political games. You see how much trouble his statement made. It immediately hit the Vatican, the authority of Francis himself, and Ukrainian Roman and Greek Catholics,” Filipovych emphasized.