POPE INADVERTENTLY QUOTES PUTIN TO CRITICISE WEST’S AFGHAN WAR

Wed 01 September 2021:

Pope Francis has slammed the West’s recent intervention in Afghanistan, describing it as an attempt by outsiders to impose democracy.

When asked about the new political landscape forming in Afghanistan after the US and its allies withdrew from the Taliban-controlled country after 20 years of conflict, the pope said he would answer with a quote that he attributed to the German chancellor, whom he described as “one of the world’s greatest political figures.”

“It’s necessary to stop the irresponsible policy of enforcing its own values on others and attempts to build democracy in other countries based on outside models without taking into account historic, ethnic, and religious issues and fully ignoring other people’s traditions,” the pope said, using his own translation into Spanish.

Although he did it by citing Russia’s Vladimir Putin while thinking he was quoting Germany’s Angela Merkel.

The pope gave an interview to Spain’s Cadena COPE late last week at the Vatican. The talk was broadcast on Wednesday by a radio station owned by Spain’s Catholic bishops’ group, which claimed that the content had been approved by the Pope himself.

Francis also said that “all eventualities were not taken into account” in the departure of Western allies from Afghanistan.

“I don’t know if there will be any revision (of what happened during the withdrawal), but there was much deceiving from the new authorities (of Afghanistan),” said the pope. “Either that or just too much ingenuity. Otherwise, I don’t understand.”

Francis called for Christians across the world to engage in “prayer, penance and fasting” in the face of events in Afghanistan.

(Input with agency)

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