VATICAN, August 29. /TASS/. Pope Francis called on young Russian Catholics via a video link to preserve and build on the positive elements of Russia’s great cultural and spiritual heritage, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said in a statement.

Bruni responded to Ukraine’s criticism of the pontiff following his interactive video exchange with Russian Catholic youths on August 25.

"In a message of greetings, the pope sought to call on the youth to preserve and foster the positive aspects of great Russian cultural and spiritual heritage, as he addressed some young Russian Catholics in the past few days, rather than praise the imperialist thinking or statesmen being quoted to define certain periods in history," Bruni explained.

Some 400 young people from across Russia attended an event at the Basilica of St. Catherine of Alexandria in St. Petersburg on Friday. At the gathering which followed World Youth Day in Lisbon earlier this month, the pontiff took questions from young Russian believers.

"Don’t forget that you are heirs to the great mother Russia, a great country, and its history, its saints and prominent figures of culture. You are heirs to the Great Russia, so thank you, thanks for staying true to your heritage. Keep this legacy and cherish it; thank you," the Pope said. This remark was misinterpreted as praise for "Russian imperialism" in Ukraine, where it was reposted on two religious websites. Ukraine’s Greek Catholic Church, which is in full communion with the Holy See, was critical of that statement, too.

Earlier, Kiev rejected Pope Francis’ proposal to mediate peace in Ukraine.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov hailed the Pope’s remark as he said that the pontiff "knows Russian history, and that is very good." "[Our history] is quite storied; its roots go very deep," the Russian presidential spokesman added as he urged efforts to pass this heritage on to Russia’s youth on a continuous basis and remind them of it.