Pope Francis' nine most powerful foreign policy moments
2015-12-11
Pope Francis
belongs to the very small group of leaders who can make a real
difference in international affairs. And from the moment he became Pope,
he has never been shy on the world stage.
To commemorate the Pope's first thousands days, here are nine of his biggest moments in foreign policy.
...a comment as humble as it gets...honestly!:
'Biggest
moments 1, 2, 4, 6 , 8 and 9', as stated in the following text,
broadly speaking , cover concecutive philosophic , social , economic,
cultural, issues of the early 21st century human life, of various
levels, but mainly address the Middle-East/Syrian refugees current drama.
"We
need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves
troublesome..."
"Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.”
These two phrases above triggered off some thoughts: the good, aka useful, shepherds-teachers have to practice what they preach , otherwise their words get entangled and lost in labyrinths of diplomatic/political expediency, serving none other than their own Selves!
These two phrases above triggered off some thoughts: the good, aka useful, shepherds-teachers have to practice what they preach , otherwise their words get entangled and lost in labyrinths of diplomatic/political expediency, serving none other than their own Selves!
It could have not happened otherwise. It is not us , the citizens , that created it , it is them, the Ones who have the control. As long as simple everyday people like us see and take stock of this state of affairs, is it not evident that we expect our true leaders to act accordingly?
We do not expect the leaders to pray with us , or to vigil with us , or to cry with us, or to direct us to fund-charity-raisings ! We do all that on our own and by our own free will! As far as it concerns the leaders , they may or may not participate , little do we care!
What is duly though expected, is that obvious holisic point of view which leads to the desirable, peaceful , humanely-valued solution. True leaders to do what they only can do , since they only have the means, the armies, the technology, the capital, the media. In the Syria case, we expect that the world leaders advice the Controllers to pull out their troops, to restore the devastated refugees lives back into their own houses, properties , cities, traditiions and freedom of choice.
We expect those who would like to be world leaders 'not to discard what is troublersome ', difficult to promote , not profitable for their military , industrial, pharma, banking compexes, but to guide the Shadowy-Controllers back to the 'serve all ' , useful for our common, fruitful , future , one and only concept. Otherwise they are systemic accomplices and/or partners or delude themselves about being leaders et al.
Those who propagate solution stratagems of the type : "Oh let us be hospitable to the refugees, let us provide 'hot-sorting out-spots ', let us adopt-support-protect the 'un-accompanied children' etc., etc., etc., we do not choose to trust. In fact , we consider them "Concealers or deniers of evil , not allowing a wound to keep bleeding, bandaging it, but deliberately not curing it at all , although they possess the absolute medicinal-biogical-scientific-economic potency to so do.”
We consider these offerings of thoroughly elaborated 'goodness images', jesuistically evasive answers to Humanity's demands for the real truth.
We consider them obscurantist , mind controlling and consciousness manipulating actions .
We do not consent to surrender our freedom of will , action and life to the controllers and the ineffectual leaders. m.l.p.
1. VISITING LAMPEDUSA
Pope
Francis, who came from a family of Italian immigrants to Argentina,
made a statement with his first trip outside of Rome. He chose to go to
Lampedusa, also known as the "gateway to Europe.”
While there, he used a phrase that would become a mainstay during his time as Pope.
POPE FRANCIS
"Who
has cried for these people who lost their lives on a boat? For the
young mothers who traveled with their children? For those men, who are
looking for means to support their families? We are a society that has
forgotten the experience of shedding tears, of suffering amid the
globalization of indifference.”
2. VIGIL FOR SYRIA
The
ongoing war in Syria is one of the most gut-wrenching stories of our
time. It's also one of Pope Francis' greatest concerns. A few months
after becoming Pope, he organized a prayer vigil in St. Peter's Square.
One
hundred thousand people came and prayed alongside the Pope. Lots of
followers of other religions also came. Even early in his pontificate,
it was clear that Pope Francis could bring together people in a way no
other leader could.
3. HUG AT THE WAILING WALL
When
Pope Francis visited the Wailing Wall in May 2014, he brought along two
important friends: Rabbi Abraham Skorka and the Muslim leader Omar
Abboud.
In a powerful interreligious statement, the three old friends embraced before the landmark. They said together, "We did it!”
4. ADDRESSING THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
The Pope had some strong words for Europe's most important assembly: The European Parliament.
He
highlighted the theme of dignity many times. Offenses against dignity
come in many forms, he explained. The speech received a standing
ovation.
POPE FRANCIS
"Dear
Members of the European Parliament, the time has come to work together
in building a Europe which revolves not around the economy, but around
the sacredness of the human person, around inalienable values.”
5. CUBA AND U.S. DIPLOMACY
In
late 2014, Cuba and the United States announced a thaw in relations
after half a century of animosity. During the announcement, both Raul
Castro and Barack Obama name-checked the Pope.
In
fact, Pope Francis personally reached out to both leaders in the
process. He even invited both parties to the Vatican to discuss their
negotiation process.
6. THE ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE”
During
Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope referred to the Ottoman Empire's
killing of about 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as a
"genocide.”
He received push-back from the
Turkish government for his remarks, but the Pope stood firm and
explained why he described the killings that way.
POPE FRANCIS
"Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.”
7. LAUDATO SI'
When
Pope Francis published "Laudato Si” in June 2015, it attracted almost
unprecedented attention for a papal encyclical. It's exactly what the
Pope wanted.
His call for sweeping changes in
how humans think about ecology was timed to influence the COP 21 climate
conference in Paris. Since its release, the encyclical has been cited
by countless heads of state. And perhaps more importantly, its message
has reached millions of people: Catholic or not.
8. WINNING OVER AMERICA
Some
of the toughest criticisms of Pope Francis have come from politically
conservative Catholics in the United States. The Pope's trip there, the
first in his life, was considered a major test of his appeal.
Polling
data after the trip suggests the visit improved the Pope's standing
among Americans. Moments like this, during his address to Congress, are
why he was able to win over doubters.
POPE FRANCIS
"We
need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves
troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.'”
9. ENTERING A WAR ZONE
It
was perhaps the riskiest move of his papacy. Pope Francis decided to
visit a country currently in the middle of a violent civil war.
His
visit to a refugee camp in the Central African Republic was the most
moving moment of the trip. It was also powerful diplomacy.
POPE FRANCIS
"We
have to work and pray and do everything for peace. But peace without
love, without friendship, without tolerance, without forgiveness, is not
possible.”