Vatican criticised for pairing Russian and Ukrainian at Good Friday procession

A view of St Peter’s Square at the Vatican (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

A close associate of Pope Francis defended the Vatican’s decision to have a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman carry the cross together during a Good Friday procession that will be presided over by the pontiff.

On Tuesday, both the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See and the archbishop of Kyiv blasted the choice given Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine.