It's a scene that stunned diplomats worldwide. On the morning of February 25, 2022, just 24 hours after the start of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Pope Francis visited the Russian Embassy, located on Via della Conciliazione near the Vatican. According to the statement released after this visit, he wanted to "express his concern regarding the war in Ukraine." This clumsy move, breaking with diplomatic conventions, was the first in a series of missteps, errors in judgment, and ambiguities by Jorge Bergoglio on the Russia-Ukraine war. Of all the international matters the Argentine pope had to handle during his 12-year pontificate, the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine was one of the most challenging.

Until May 2022, Francis repeatedly called for an end to the fighting, refusing to acknowledge the responsibility of Vladimir Putin and Russia. Favoring a resolution of the conflict through dialogue, he even expressed a desire to see Vladimir Putin first before traveling to Kyiv. Alas, faced with the Russian president's refusal to respond to his calls for mediation, the pope eventually publicly regretted his stance, stating that he would continue to "insist" nonetheless.

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