When Pope Francis sought to criticize Western engagement in Afghanistan by citing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he couldn’t have imagined he was actually quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Asked about the new political map forming in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the U.S. and its allies in an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Cope, the head of the Catholic Church said he would answer with a quote from Merkel — “one of the world’s greatest political figures.”
“It’s necessary to stop the irresponsible policy of enforcing [the West’s] own values on others,” he said, “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.”
Francis had unwittingly shared analysis by Putin from Merkel’s visit to Moscow in August. In the same speech, Putin emphasized that the Taliban takeover proved the futility of Western efforts in Afghanistan.
In addition to misattributing the quote, Francis commented that “all eventualities were not taken into account” during the withdrawal. He urged all Christians to “fast, pray and do penance” for Afghanistan.
The interview — Francis’s first since a July 4 operation on his intestine — was recorded last week and vetted by the pontiff, according to the radio station.
Source: Politico
