But Aguilar foresees “a regime change, because in a very Catholic country, when you oppose the Catholic Church, you are opposing your people. If your people cannot celebrate Mass, go to processions or say prayers and celebrate the feasts, eventually they will not vote for you.”
In countries where Catholics are a majority, like Nicaragua, the Vatican’s efforts are more impactful. But in places such as China or Russia, where Catholic faithful represent but a tiny fraction of the population, it’s much more difficult for the Vatican to promote its interests and create the basis for dialogue.
“People expect the Vatican, the oldest diplomacy, to act very rashly,” Aguilar said. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Pope Pius XII kept diplomatic relations with Japan, angering the Allied forces. Years later, the Catholic Church became instrumental in recovering English and American prisoners in the Eastern country.
“The basics of diplomacy at the Vatican is a continuity of at least one century,” Aguilar said. “It looks very slow but only because it’s not public.”
This article originally appeared here.
