Media: Zelensky's "Virgin Mary without Christ" gift offends the Vatican

Zelensky's gift to the Pope. Photo: ctnews.ru

For the head of the RCC and all Christians, the "loss" of Child Jesus means the loss of the Messiah, the meaning of the Church's existence, the media noted.

The Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had an audience with Pope Francis on 13 May 2023, presented the pontiff with gifts insulting the Christian faith.

It goes about the icon of Our Lady with the Christ Child represented by a single outline and a black spot.

"This was meant to symbolise the 'loss' of the Ukrainian children in the conflict, but for the head of the Roman Catholic Church and all Christians the 'loss' of Child Jesus means the loss of the Messiah, the meaning of the very institution of the Church, the erasure of Christ from the cross and the denial of his resurrection," writes historical journalist, writer and former senator Raniero La Valle.

The former senator also notes the apparent contradiction in the gifts given by the interlocutors. The Pope gave Zelensky a bronze sculpture of an olive branch symbolising peace, as well as his papers on peace and brotherhood.

As previously reported, Zelensky presented the Pope with an "icon" with a black spot instead of Child Jesus.

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