Pope Francis walked a tightrope earlier this month by welcoming Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican and inaugurating the new Palestinian embassy to the Holy See. The move is controversial for a number of reasons — and it is worth examining what is going on from a political standpoint.
It is essential to understand that the Vatican and the pope are more than just the leaders of the worldwide Catholic Church. Like it or not, the pope is also a politician — and politics has always factored into the Vatican’s relationship with other countries.
“The people of Israel walked through the desert for 40 years until they reached the land promised by God.”
The press release issued by the Holy See on Abbas’ visit focused on peace and safety for all, wisely avoiding any appearance of favoritism to either side.
“Hope was expressed that direct negotiations between the Parties may be resumed to bring an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations, and to find a just and lasting solution,” the release said. “To this end, it is hoped that, with the support of the international community, measures can be taken that favor mutual trust and contribute to creating a climate that permits courageous decisions to be made in favor of peace. Emphasis was placed on the importance of safeguarding the sanctity of the Holy Places for believers of all three of the Abrahamic religions. Finally, particular attention was dedicated to the other conflicts affecting the region.”
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Fair enough. Or is it?
On the surface, it would appear to be. Certainly, the Vatican’s relations with Israel have always resembled a dance on eggshells. In 1994, the Vatican and Israel began a reconciliation process with a formal agreement regarding numerous issues.
Early on in his papacy, Pope Francis made a point of reaching out to Israel, hosting meetings with Shimon Peres, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The pope followed up with a visit to Israel about a year later. Israelis have given Pope Francis the highest approval rating (50 percent) of any non-Christian country.
The pope won high praise in October of last year when he said, “The people of Israel, who from Egypt, where they were enslaved, walked through the desert for 40 years until they reached the land promised by God.” The statement was made shortly after a disgraceful UNESCO resolution that denied any Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
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However, there is legitimate criticism regarding the recognition and meeting with Abbas. Pope Francis met with Palestinian refugees, and called Abbas an “angel of peace.”
This did not sit well with Jews or Israelis, considering Abbas was a founding member of terror organization Fatah. The Vatican also raised hackles when it formally recognized the State of Palestine, which historians know has no validity insofar as the people who have populated that land through much of human history.
But such is the delicate world of politics within the Holy See. As with any geopolitical situation, there is always a massive iceberg beneath the tip. It is impossible to know what the true motives of the Holy See are in regard to the Middle East, and the Holy See itself may not even know. Geopolitics has a way of creating an impenetrable three-dimensional puzzle, in which the movement of one piece affects multiple pieces throughout the game.
Ideally, Pope Francis will focus on the Catholic Church’s mandate to ease the suffering of all human beings and find peace among all states and people.
Lawrence Meyers covers everything from faith and popular culture to public policy and finance. He is the manager of the forthcoming Liberty Portfolio stock newsletter, and has written three books and over 2,300 articles for websites such as Breitbart, TownHall, and InvestorPlace.
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