Vatican confirms it has apologized to Russian government for Pope's remarks (AFP)

Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, has confirmed a Russian foreign ministry statement that the Vatican has apologized for the Pope’s remarks on the cruelty of Russian troops in Ukraine.

“Generally, the cruelest are perhaps those who are of Russia but are not of the Russian tradition, such as the Chechens, the Buryats, and so on,” the Pope had said in an interview with the Jesuit magazine America.