Pope talks Russia, China, Bahrain, Nicaragua
Newslooks- ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP)
Pope keeps Moscow dialogue open even if it’s uncomfortable
The Vatican plans to keep open paths of dialogue with Russia, even if doing so “smells,” Pope Francis said Thursday, reaffirming Ukraine’s right to defend itself.
Francis spoke at length about Russia’s war in Ukraine and the need for peace during a press conference while traveling home from Kazakhstan. Francis had visited the former Soviet republic to participate in an interfaith peace conference that, in its final communique, called on all political leaders to stop conflict and bloodshed “in all corners of our world.”
Francis has long touted the need for dialogue, even with antagonists and countries that are hostile to the Catholic Church. He reaffirmed that policy in comments about Russia, China and even Nicaragua, where the government has been cracking down on the church.
“I don’t exclude dialogue with any power that is in war, even if it’s the aggressor,” Francis said. “It smells, but you have to do it. Always take a step forward, with the hand outstretched, because the alternative is to close the only reasonable door to peace.”
In that vein, Francis had hoped his trip to Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan would provide a chance to meet with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has justified the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine on spiritual and ideological grounds. Patriarch Kirill bowed out of the conference last month, but his envoy who attended said another meeting was possible between the two world religious leaders but must be prepared well in advance.
At the same time, though, Francis affirmed that it was “morally acceptable” for Ukraine to receive weapons to defend itself against Moscow’s invasion. He said such a defense is not only right but “also an expression of love for your country.” But he said the motivation behind such fighting is key.
“It can be immoral if it’s done with the intention of provoking more war or selling weapons or getting rid of the weapons that you don’t need anymore,” he said.
Lamenting that wars are raging around the planet, he recalled that when he was 9 years old, in 1945, he learned the value of peace as word spread in Buenos Aires that World War II had ended.
“Even today, I can see my mother and the neighbor weeping with joy because the war had ended. We were in a South American country, far away. But these people, these women, knew that peace was bigger than all wars. And they wept with joy when peace was made.”
“I won’t ever forget that,” he said.
Pope laments missed chance to improve ties with China
Pope Francis said Thursday that he didn’t understand China but respected it, as another opportunity to improve ties came and went when the pope and Chinese president were within a few miles (kilometers) of one another in Kazakhstan but didn’t meet.
The Holy See had sent an “expression of availability” to Beijing that Francis would be free to meet with President Xi Jinping during the Chinese leader’s brief state visit Wednesday to the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan. But China replied there wouldn’t be time, a Vatican official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“He had a state visit but I didn’t see him,” Francis said Thursday during an in-flight press conference on his trip home from Kazakhstan, where he attended an interfaith conference.
With another lost opportunity, Francis was asked to assess the state of religious freedom in China, amid a crackdown on religious minorities and continued strained relations with the Catholic Church.
The Vatican hasn’t had diplomatic relations with China for over five decades, and the Catholic faithful are supposed to worship in churches affiliated with the party-controlled Patriotic Catholic Association. Those who practice outside state churches and remained loyal to Rome for decades have faced pressure and harassment.
“It’s not easy to understand the Chinese mentality, but it must be respected. I respect it,” Francis said. He declined to weigh in on the upcoming trial of Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, saying he didn’t feel qualified to determine if China was democratic or not.
Zen, a staunch critic of China’s Communist Party, was arrested in May as part of a crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
“Yes it’s true, there are things that to us seem undemocratic,” Francis said.
But he said the Vatican was intent on pursuing a path of dialogue with Beijing and was committed to a bilateral commission that is overseeing a 2018 accord on bishop nominations.
“It’s something slow, but it always takes steps forward,” Francis said.
The two sides are expected to renew the bishop deal at the end of the month.
Pope studying Bahrain visit, looking at February for Africa
Pope Francis is studying a possible visit to Bahrain in November and said Thursday he is looking to reschedule his trip to South Sudan and Congo for February.
Francis told reporters en route home from Kazakhstan that his strained knee ligaments still hadn’t healed and that travelling was “difficult.” But the 85-year-old pontiff said he would undertake a next trip — a reference to a three-day visit to Bahrain in early November that is currently under study by the Vatican, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
Francis had to cancel a planned July trip to South Sudan and Congo after his doctors said he needed more time to undergo therapy on his right knee. Francis has been using a wheelchair and cane for months since he strained the ligaments, and he was in visible pain during the three-day trip to Kazakhstan to participate in an interfaith conference.
Francis has declined to undergo surgery, saying he had a bad reaction to anesthesia when he had a chunk of his large intestine removed in July 2021.
The South Sudan leg of the Africa trip was supposed to have included the Archbishop of Canterbury as well as the moderator for the Church of Scotland. Francis said Thursday he had recently spoken with Archbishop Justin Welby “and we saw a possibility of going to South Sudan in February. And if I go to South Sudan, I’d go to Congo.”
Other papal trips expected in 2023 are closing out World Youth Day, scheduled for August in Lisbon, Portugal.
Pope: Vatican seeks talks on Nicaragua’s Catholic crackdown
Pope Francis said Thursday the Vatican was in contact with the Nicaraguan government about its crackdown on the Catholic Church and hoped “at the very least” that nuns from Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity religious order would be allowed to return to operations in the country.
Francis said he didn’t understand the government’s actions: it has forced out the Vatican ambassador, closed the Sisters of Charity local operation and placed a bishop under house arrest. But Francis stressed that the Vatican was not prepared to sever contact or relations with the Nicaraguan government.
“There is dialogue. That doesn’t mean we approve of everything the government is doing, or disapprove of it. There is dialogue,” he said. “When there’s dialogue it means we must resolve problems. In this moment, there are problems.”
Speaking while traveling home from a trip to Kazakhstan, Francis termed Managua’s expulsion of Ambassador Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag a “serious diplomatic” incident, especially since the ambassador was very capable diplomat, who has recently been appointed to head the Vatican’s embassy in West Africa.
Francis said he hoped at least the Sisters of Charity could return.
“These women are great revolutionaries, of the Gospel. They aren’t making war against anyone. Actually, we all need them. One cannot understand this gesture. But we hope they can go back.”
The Vatican has been exceedingly measured in its public reaction to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s crackdown, limiting itself to a statement of concern after Sommertag was forced out as the Holy See’s ambassador and then again last month when Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Alvarez was put under house arrest.
Vatican officials have said they haven’t wanted to escalate the conflict by publicly admonishing Ortega’s administration. Sommertag’s appointment in West Africa creates a formal opening in the Vatican’s Managua embassy that the Vatican would presumably seek to fill with someone else if the Ortega government approves his credentials.
