Pope Francis, the diplomacy of prayer and dialogue

The “nota verbale” (verbal note) sent by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to all the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See represents Pope Francis’ most recent initiative to promote peace. It is through persuasion, dialogue and prayer that Pope Francis hopes to influence current armed conflicts, to bring them to an end. In the meantime, the international landscape is always more worrisome.

Global Conflict and Persecuted Minorities

Among recent developments was the seizure of Benghazi by Muslim fundamentalists aiming at establishing a caliphate. In Iraq, houses of Christians in Mosul are branded with the letter “N” (which stands for Nazarene). Almost all Christians have been compelled to flee under death threat. There is an explosive situation in the Middle East in general and in Israel/Palestine in particular, and the prayer for peace convened by Pope Francis in the Vatican seems now to be a vague memory. Christian minorities, all agree, are the most persecuted in the world.

The Diplomacy of Charisma and Engagement

Considering this worrying scenario, will the diplomacy of prayer and dialogue be enough? Pope Francis counts on his personal charisma. He is one of the candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, and he really has a chance to get it. Compared to John Paul II, who was a candidate for the prize as well, Pope Francis attracts wider consensus in the secular world. John Paul II was popular and loved, but he made governments tremble when he spoke about human rights. Pope Francis uses a more conciliatory approach, which the secular world certainly likes. Behind this conciliatory approach, there is a need for strong diplomatic engagement.

Apostolic nuncios (i.e. the Papal ambassadors) work tirelessly. They are bishops, and their double role of shepherds and diplomats gives them insights that other diplomats do not have. They know the priests on their territory, they weigh in on the state of the local Church. But they also have first-hand information, coming from priests, missionaries and the faithful, and this information is shared with the Secretariat of State, where the “minutanti” put it into reports. At the moment, the Vatican’s diplomatic policy seems to be that of “wait and see”. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, has first aimed at establishing a dialoguing and informal collaboration with the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. The archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican’s “Foreign Minister”, mentioned in a program broadcasted in Vatican Radio that the “nota verbale” included all of Pope Francis’ appeals for peace. Mamberti recalled all of the Pope’s appeals for peace and asked for “dialogue and reconciliation”. The same dialogue and reconciliation Pope Francis is still asking for.

Humanitarian Aid and Global Statistics

In the meantime, there is major work carried on by Christian charities and Vatican institutions on the ground. The situation of the refugees in Iraq is terrible, and to help face it the Congregation for the Oriental Churches has sent $50,000 for immediate needs; the Pontifical Council Cor Unum sent $400,000 for the same purpose and is playing a huge role on the ground; and Aid for the Church in Need has sent 100,000 euros, keeps collecting money for persecuted Christians and called for a day of prayer for peace. The Holy See commitment may be further quantified. On May 27, 2013, the archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi, Holy See Permanent Observer to the UN Offices in Geneva, shed light on the current services to the human family carried out in the world by the Catholic Church without any distinction of religion or race.

Data on Catholic Church Global Services:

Kindergartens: 70,544 kindergartens looking after 6,478,627 pupils
Primary schools: 92,847 schools with 31,151,170 pupils
Secondary schools: 43,591 schools with 17,793,559 pupils
High school: 2,304,171 pupils
University: 3,338,455 students
Healthcare: 18,179 dispensaries and 547 Care Homes