Thread by @sumlenny

THREAD Pope Benedict addressed Russian Catholic youth in his video message and promoted worst Russian tyrants plus imperialistic chauvinist narratives. Let me explain it in details in this thread. First, let us look at the message published at official Catholic Church page: /1

What did Pope literally said? "Never forget your heritage. You are heirs of great Russia: great Russia of the saints, of the rulers, large Russia of Peter I, of Catherine II, of that empire - great, enlighten, (of) big culture and big humanity. Never reject that heritage... /2

... You are heirs of great Mother Russia. Go forward with it. And thank you. Thank you for your way to exist, for your way to be Russian". Wow. In this paragraph the Pope used the word "great" three times, mentioned two absolute monarchs, in context of enlargement of empire. /3

"Empire, great, great, Peter I, heirs, Catherine II, great, go forward" - this could easily be a warmongering speech of Vladimir Putin himself. Indeed - Peter I and Catherine II are Putins' two favorite monarchs. It is clear why: because they were crazy henchmen and aggressors /4

Peter came to power after he imprisoned his elder sister Sofya and executed the whole Kremlin guard regiment (Streltsi). Peter personally tortured them, what shocked Russians until the XIX cent. (here: 'Morning of Streltsi execution' painting): he was a barbarian even for them /5

Peter's paranoia guided him all his life long. He arrested his own and only son Alexiy, accused him for treason, personally tortured him and let him be executed. Another inspiration for Russian artists (here: "Nikolai Ge, Peter I and prince Alexiy"). But that is not all. /6

Leo Tolstoy, a Russian literature's icon, described Peter I in his political pamphlet "Nicolai the Punisher" (on emperor Nicolas I) that way:

"From Peter I, we see especially striking and especially close and understandable to us horrors of Russian history... /9

...A raging, drunken, syphilitic beast, for 25 years, devastates people, executes, burns, buries alive in the ground, imprisons his wife, debauches... Himself, for amusement, beheads, blasphemes, rides with a semblance of a cross made from pipes in the shape of genital organs /10

and a semblance of the Gospels — a box with vodka. He crowns himself and his lover, devastates Russia and executes his son. Not only do they not understand his atrocities, but they still don't stop praising the virtues of this monster, and there's no end to monuments for him. /11

...And all the horrors, executions, torture, murder of the rightful heir, the enserfment of half of Russia, wars, the debauchery and devastation of the people, everything is forgotten and still praised as some kind of grandeur, wisdom, almost moral height of this bad man." /12

Well, it was quite an inspiration for both Putin and Pope Benedict. But what about Catherine II? Oh, she is a good match to Peter I. She was a murderer, usurper and authored the the most cruel slavery laws for Russia (and Angela Merkel had her portrait on her working table). /13

Catherine came to power after she has killed her husband, Peter III. She usurped the throne and was seen by aristocracy as an illegitimate ruler. That's why she has done everything to please the aristocracy. She has wiped out any right of serves they had in the serfdom system /14

Under Cathrine, millions of serfs lost any rights, were degraded to objects equal to cattle or tools. Aristocracy got right to rape girls, kill babies, torture ppl etc. Any attempt of serfs to call for justice was criminalised under Cathrine: you complain - you go to Siberia. /15

Here is a typical classified from a newspaper 1800: "Three nice-looking girls in age of 14 and 15 for sale. They are skilled in craftsmanship, and one plays gusly (a string instrument). Ask for price under Arbatska chart 1 appt 1117". A painting: convoying slaves to a market" /16

Once again: Catharina II the Great deliberately transformed serfdom into full-scale slavery, where kids could got raped, killed, or sold out of the families. In a partly anti-slavery play 'Woe from Wit' (1824) a protagonist describes slaves being exchanged for hunting dogs. /17