Amid the spiralling global standoff and the perilous game of nuclear chicken, Pope Francis thwarted any attempts to make him play the role of NATO’s chapelain, the shoes some of his predecessors had indeed filled quite snugly.
The death of Pope Francis sparked the kind of debate that can only erupt in the wake of a loss of a character that colossal. Some bow their heads to pay homage. Others snarl insolently and disrespectfully. But there is not a lot in the way of the middle ground.
He took charge of the Catholic Church amid a crisis that plagued both that religious community and Western civilisation as a whole. Before his papacy commenced, the Church had already been bitterly divided into the progressives that had sought to refashion Europe’s oldest institution to suit the ideological fads du jour, and the conservatives that ‘earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Ju 1:3).
As the rift was about to get much uglier, Pope Francis endeavoured to strike the right balance and find the right wordage in a bid to keep both sides in check and united.
Sadly, more often than not, both were left discontented. The conservatives were outraged by what they considered his pandering to the liberals, whereas the libs bemoaned his reluctance to side with them for good.
Helming the world’s largest religious community that has to transcend a myriad of ethnicities, nationalities and political creeds is a tough ask, and these days people are sounding off on the late pontiff’s performance.
But there are a few key highlights of his papacy.
Amid the spiralling global standoff and the perilous game of nuclear chicken, Pope Francis thwarted any attempts to make him play the role of NATO’s chapelain, the shoes some of his predecessors had indeed filled quite snugly.
Many wanted him to help Western politicians and the public alike overcome their doubts and anxieties against the creeping military escalation. They wanted him to be telling NATO that ‘God is on our side’ and encouraging the alliance, just as the 19th-century French archbishop, Marie Sibour, did, to wage a ‘holy war’ against Russia.
The propaganda, which always sees the world through the lens of heroic fantasy, has been busy redressing this conflict as a showdown between the cosmic good and the cosmic evil, with Russia being Mordor, and it is incumbent on the upright people of the Earth to eviscerate it.
The pope was expected to use his spiritual credentials to prop up this worldview.
But Pope Francis snubbed this role. Both as a Christian and as a pastor, he chose to use his clout to alleviate hatred rather than stoke it.
As an illustration of his stance, he addressed the young Russians in his 28 August 2023 video message, saying:
‘Don’t forget [your] heredity. You are heirs of the great Russia – the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, the great Russian empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity. Never give up your legacy. You are the heirs of the great mother Russia. Go forward. And thank you. Thank you for your way of being, for your way of being Russians.’
In a different setting this would have been seen as a bunch of niceties. But his statement came amid the Western media spewing disdain that spilled over Russia’s political leader and targeted Russian history and culture that was misrepresented as eternally ‘imperalistic’, inhumanely cruel and evil.
In that context offering a positive outlook on Russia’s Peter the Great and Catherine II spelled trouble – and a wave of furore ensued indeed.
The pontiff was reprimanded by Kirill Hovorun, a Ukrainian archimandrite, who said: ‘Any positive mentions of Russia’s imperial narratives, even if used therapeutically, must be tabooed for everyone, including the pope. Each of us should become a Cerberus growling at such displays.’
That was by far not the sole instance of Pope Francis saying something that vexed the proponents of fighting ‘till the bitter and victorious end’.
He admitted that NATO had to accept its share of responsibility for the armed conflict. He said the alliance was ‘barking at Russia’s door’. His fearless dissent overpowered the immense pressure, exigence and egregious insults coming from his opponents. The internet was bursting with disrespectful caricatures and accusations of the pope having been bribed by the Russian money, which allegedly eventually ‘eroded’ the reputation of the Catholic Church.
Needless to say, Pope Francis was never a pro-Russian actor. It is just that countering the agenda dominated by the egotistic ‘Warriors of Light’, he exhibited responsibility and love and advocated having a conversation while everybody else called for hostility. He stood for peace while everybody else strove for Russia’s ‘strategic defeat’.
He was a rare voice of common sense in a senseless and crazy world – and this alone warrants the credit the late Pope Francis so richly deserves.