Kadyrov said he accepted the apology of the Vatican for the words about the cruelty of the Chechens

Chechnya is accepting an official statement from the Vatican apologizing for the statements of Pope Francis against, in particular, the Chechens, said the head of the region, Ramzan Kadyrov.

“We are pleased that they realized their mistake and apologize. We accept the apology, but we say to everyone: <…> do not touch the feelings of the Chechens. We are responsible for this,” Kadyrov said (quote according to TASS).

On November 28, Francis of Rome, commenting on the conflict in Ukraine, said that he considers the Chechens and Buryats the most “cruel part of the Russian troops.” “If there are people who are martyrs, then there must be those who torture them,” he added. At the same time, in the same month, the pontiff called the Russian people great and said that because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, he is between two peoples that he loves.

In response to this, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that his statements demonstrate not just Russophobia, but also an outrageous distortion of the truth. “This is no longer Russophobia, this is a perversion, I don’t even know what level,” she noted. After that, the Vatican issued a formal apology for the words of Francis.

Earlier in December, the diplomat said Russia had received an apology from Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolina. The ability to admit one’s mistakes is becoming less and less common in international communication, and this shows that behind the Vatican’s calls for dialogue is the ability to conduct this dialogue and listen to the interlocutor, she added, emphasizing that this approach causes sincere respect.