VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In a speech to political and diplomatic authorities in Portugal during his visit in late July, Pope Francis reminded Europe of its commitment to making peace after the horrors of the world wars.
The “real Europe,” Francis said, “triggered the spark of reconciliation, by realizing the dream of building tomorrow with yesterday’s enemy, of creating paths for dialogue, roads of inclusion, by developing a diplomacy of peace that quiets conflicts and eases tensions, that is capable of recognizing the feeblest signs of appeasement and of reading between the most crooked lines.”
His words seemed to be an admission that the Vatican, the smallest country in the world, cannot bring Russia, the largest country in the world, to the negotiating table by itself. But if not, it has not been for lack of trying.
As much of the Western world has focused on ending the war with pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Francis has remained firm in his belief that peace in the region cannot be achieved without dialogue with Russia. Francis is among the few world leaders who have kept the doors of dialogue open, mostly avoiding demonizing Russia while criticizing the economic sanctions that, in his view, do more to harm common people than change the minds of political stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Francis has conducted what he called, in an interview with the Spanish magazine Vida Nueva published on Friday (Aug. 4), “a peace offensive.”
His primary weapon in this offensive has been Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the head of the Italian Bishop’s Conference, who has years of experience in diplomacy and was appointed by Francis to lead the Vatican peace initiative in May. In July Zuppi met with Putin advisers in Moscow and also visited Washington, where he sat with President Joe Biden for two hours.
Beijing will be Zuppi’s next destination, because Francis believes that, along with the United States, “they hold the key to lower the tension of the conflict.”
In his push for peace, Francis isn’t adhering to the script laid out by the Western powers, which has valorized the vow by the leaders of Ukraine to push the Russian invaders out. Commenting on Zuppi’s mission, Francis told the Spanish magazine that in Kyiv, “they keep to the idea of victory without opting for mediation.” The odds for peace look better in Russia, he said, where “there is an attitude that can be described as diplomatic.”
The timing of Zuppi’s trip to Washington was notable in that the meeting occurred immediately after Biden’s unpopular decision to send Ukraine cluster munitions, which are banned by 125 countries. The Holy See was among the first 30 countries to back the ban, which went into effect in 2010.
“What Pope Francis is attempting to do is to create opportunities for dialogue,” said Victor Gaetan, author of “God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon.”
“Don’t forget that Pope Francis is among the most well-informed men on the planet and the only head of state who has no military, economic or political designs in this war,” Gaetan said.
In the interview, Francis said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin is organizing a peace summit of religious leaders in Abu Dhabi before the meeting on climate change scheduled for the end of November in Dubai. Most importantly, Francis said he wishes to appoint a permanent representative who can act as a bridge between Russia and Ukraine.
