Victor Yelensky commented on the election of Pope Leo XIV, calling him “as if created by artificial intelligence”

Victor Yelensky, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, commented on the election of the new Pope — Leo XIV — during a live broadcast of the national “United News” telethon. According to Yelensky, the newly elected Pope is a vivid embodiment of the globalized world: an American with French, Italian, and Spanish roots who had served for a long time in Peru. This, in the head of the SSEFC’s view, makes him look “as if created by artificial intelligence.” This was reported on the official website of the SSEFC.

Yelensky paid special attention to the choice of the name Leo XIV, which evokes the legacy of Leo XIII — a Pope known as one of the leading social thinkers of the Catholic Church. This continuity, according to the expert, may indicate the new Pontiff’s intention to focus on issues of social justice.

Yelensky also noted that Pope Leo XIV shows a desire to strike a balance between maintaining tradition and addressing contemporary challenges.

In his early statements, the new Pope has already emphasized the importance of a just peace and the unacceptability of Russian aggression. Victor Yelensky stressed that Leo XIV clearly identifies Ukraine’s struggle as just and rooted in moral principles.

“I hope that his bridges are bridges between peoples, not between light and darkness, good and evil,” concluded the head of the SSEFC.

Earlier, it was reported that the head of the OCU, Epiphaniy Dumenko, congratulated Catholics on the election of the new head of the Roman Catholic Church — Leo XIV. His message was published on May 8, 2025, on his official social media channels.