Paula Borges Santos has studied the Vatican from a political and diplomatic point of view. How important is this meeting? Is it to reaffirm the diplomatic potential of the Vatican, which has already been consecrated by the role that, for example, the Community of Sant’Egidio played in the peace process in Mozambique?
The realization of the meeting between Zelensky and Pope Francis will unequivocally have this reading of reaffirmation of the diplomatic role of the Vatican, in one of the main war conflicts of today. It is, however, a more symbolic moment than one of effective negotiation. It represents public confirmation, at the highest level, of the Holy See’s diplomatic efforts, when many other attempts at mediation have already failed or are ongoing. We can speculate if the negotiations, which are known to be eight months old, are underway and if this is why Pope Francis is now meeting with Zelensky. Does it mean that, beyond any expression of solidarity from the Pope towards Ukraine, the two heads of state preferred to have substantial results before meeting? I lean towards a positive answer.
Is it a meeting that arrives late, although it can be said that it is better late than never?
On the timetable of this war, this meeting comes late compared to Zelensky’s meetings inside and outside Ukraine with many other leaders. Remember that this was a signal of support for Ukraine successively postponed by the Vatican – although other bridges were established, such as the missions of Cardinal Konral Krajewski to that country to support local Catholic communities, where he also witnessed evidence of war crimes . It should not be forgotten that there were actions that, from the beginning of the war, displeased Kiev. For example, two days after the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, the Pope went to the Russian embassy to the Holy See. Some statements by Pope Francis also generated discomfort, which seemed to establish an equivalence between the suffering experienced by Russians and Ukrainians in this conflict (as, for example, at Easter 2022). Now, it was this climate that began to change, very discreetly, about eight months ago. Since then, the Pope has regularly called for peace and made Vatican diplomacy available to act as a mediator. It seems, therefore, that this meeting has the moment chosen by the Pope and not the one that was insistently expected and even demanded by the general Catholic Church and part of the international community.
Can a leader of a Catholic church successfully mediate a war between two Orthodox countries, with their respective churches aligned with their respective governments and at odds with each other?
The success of this Vatican mediation will depend on several factors, as indeed is the case with all other mediations for this conflict. It will depend, above all, on the content of the agreement being discussed. Success can also be achieved in a piecemeal manner and with interruptions. For example, a great achievement could be that the Holy See can recover Ukrainian children taken to Russia through prisoner exchanges through embassies. Possibility that the Pope, for now, has not declined. A big plus in this case is the flourishing relations that exist between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church, after decades of normalization under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. It goes without saying that the Pope and his diplomats have close relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Kirill. On his trip to Budapest in April, the Pope met with the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop Hilarion, with whom he has an excellent relationship. More recently, he met with the president of foreign affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Antonji, through whom he is in contact with Kirill. Just on Thursday, for example, Francis added the Coptic Orthodox martyrs killed by the Islamic State in 2015 to the official list of saints of the Catholic Church. It is actions like this that have served to dilute hostilities and generate commitment among religious actors. This is very important, because it has prevented a religious war from breaking out into a fierce military conflict. Another positive element is that the neutral position that the Holy See has projected in this conflict is finally beginning to bear fruit. Here, the status of the Holy See as a first-rate diplomatic actor is under reconstruction. This image may now begin to take precedence over a well-known dimension that is Francis’ extensive critique of US militarism or imperialism.
Do you think this Vatican mediation could be successful?
I think it would be amazing to see the end of this war through religion. It would be an absolute and unexpected triumph for the Vatican (and the Orthodox Church), which would prevail over several other mediators who, on the ground, seek political and diplomatic solutions.
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Source: TSF
