Pope Francis:: The bridge who changed the “geopolitical” compass of the Catholic Church

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergolio He announced in his first words how he would move after taking over the leadership of the Catholic Church in 2013 by the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “You know that it was the duty of the Conqueror to give Rome a bishop. It seems that my brothers cardinals went across the earth to find one, but here we are. “

This phrase, which caused the sympathy and curiosity of the believers, gradually acquired meaning throughout his term. Francis addressed immigrants, the poor, to victims of sexual abuse by the Vatican clergy, while seeking to improve the Vatican’s relationships with the world south and the East, especially with the emerging power of China.

From the beginning, the Pope sent messages in this direction. This was also the case with the name he chose as a Pontiff, Franciscan, in honor of the Saint who dedicated his life to the service of the poor and those who were in greater need.

Franciscana Jesuit with a strong missionary slope, shaken the usual geopolitics followed by the popes, shifting the focus from Europe as a axis of Catholicism and at the center of his teaching “the regions of the world”.

However, it was mainly in the world south, where he developed the role of the “bridge” peacekeeper (this is the etymological meaning of the word “Pontiff” by the Latin “Pontifex”), as in southern Sudan, where he sought the peace, even recently, and even recently, in February 20, for his movements.

The confrontation with Donald Trump

In 2015, during his first extraordinary Jubilee, dedicated to mercy, he was found in the Central African Republic, a country sinking into a bloody civil war.

His first official trip was on the Italian island of Lampedusa in July 2013, then a symbol of the refugee crisis, where he denounced the ‘Globalization of indifference’ For the migratory misery of thousands of people who died at sea trying to reach the European coast.

His criticism of some migratory policies has been the main cause of tension with US President Donald Trump for the US and Mexican dividing wall that he promised during his first term and for mass deportations during his second term. “Anyone who thinks of building walls and not bridges is not a Catholic”said Francis in 2016. Recently, he expressed his disagreement with the expulsion policy, which “It degrades human dignity.”

The “approach” with China

One of the milestones of Francis’ Pontiff’s work was the approach with China. A country with a huge religious potential, which was also desired by its predecessors, where the Catholic Church was persecuted and relegated to illegality and which had no diplomatic relations with the Holy See since 1951.

In 2018, Bergolo reached a historic agreement with Beijing, which was the key to starting the “dismantling” of relationships between the two sides and essentially consisted of achieving consensus on appointment of bishops. Relationships have not yet been restored, but this is an important first step. The Vatican wished to overcome the period of alienation and conflict with a country where experts believe that there are about 40 million Christians.

Franciscus also focused on forgotten countries and conflicts and did so through his apostolic trips. In Siudad Huares, Mexico, a few kilometers from the US border, he performed a historic function in 2016 and blessed a cross dedicated to immigrants who risk their lives trying to reach the United States.

Mediation in Cuba and in -depth Ukraine

In 2019 he made a major trip to Japan, a special destination for Bergolio, who dreamed of becoming a missionary there in his youth. The trip was full of symbolism, visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and warnings about the risk of nuclear war. In 2017, he traveled to Colombia to offer his support for the government’s peace agreements with the FARC and to support the reconciliation process. In 2015, he traveled to Cuba and the United States to contribute to the unblocking relations between the two countries. The then US President Barack Obama had immediately asked Francis to mediate to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. Pontiff gave a historical speech to the American Congress.

Franciscus had also proposed mediation between Russia and Ukraine, though in this case Kiev rejected the offer for complete mediation and the Kremlin did not respond. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski visited Francis in the Vatican and requested diplomatic support for the liberation of Ukrainian prisoners under the control of Moscow.

The Pope closely watched the Russia-Ukraine conflict and attempted-unfortunately-to promote the dialogue between the two sides. He also sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine on countless cases. Ukraine has repeatedly criticized some of the Pope’s statements. Last year, he criticized the Pope’s comments in an interview on Swiss television, stating that Kiev should have the “courage” to negotiate the end of war with Russia, which was interpreted as a call to Ukraine to surrender. The Vatican clarified a little later that the pope supported “The cessation of hostilities and the truce achieved by the courage of negotiations” And not the open tradition of Ukraine.

Pontiff’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict was also thin. Francis, who always defended the solution of the two states proposed by the United Nations to end the Arab -Israeli conflict, strongly criticized Israel’s attacks on Gaza, describing them as “unethical and disproportionate”.

The Vatican’s diplomacy is trying to avoid terms such as genocide and terrorism and has tried to remain neutral in the conflict, confined to seeking peace and arrival of humanitarian aid for the civilian population. However, there were some moments of tension, such as after Francis’ double meeting with relatives of Israeli hostages arrested by Hamas in the attacks of 7 October 2023 and with relatives of Palestinians affected by the war.

The Palestinians said Francis spoke of genocide during a private meeting, provoking a diplomatic stir that emphasized that Israel and the Holy seat have been experiencing the most tense period in their relations in recent decades.