Vatican

Francis bolsters papacy’s moral authority on world stage

By Christopher Lamb | Contributor
Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in this file photo. On July 5,2020, the pope backed a U.N. resolution calling for a global cease-fire. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

The first line of the prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi asks: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” It is something the first pope to name himself after the 12th century “il poverello (poor man)” of Assisi has tried to put into action by utilizing the office of the papacy to try to end war and destruction.

On July 5, Francis placed his backing to a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate global ceasefire in the wake of COVID-19, saying it would allow humanitarian assistance for those who urgently need it and could be “a courageous first step toward a peaceful future.” Four months earlier he also supported a “global and immediate ceasefire” called for by the Secretary General of the U.N., António Guterres.

Before the novel coronavirus struck, the pope said he wanted to change the church’s catechism to prohibit both the use and possession of nuclear weapons and the Holy See has signed and ratified a treaty calling for the abolishment of nuclear arsenals. While Francis’ immediate predecessors were outspoken advocates for peace, this pope has taken new and bold steps.

There has long been a suggestion in Rome that Francis could write a peace encyclical, which might rewrite or even abolish just-war theory. This theory, set out by St. Augustine and then updated by St. Thomas Aquinas, provides a series of tests that need to be passed in order to justify violent conflict.

These include self-defense as a last resort and that any military response be proportionate to the threat. Some in the Vatican, however, believe that the deeply destructive nature of contemporary warfare makes it impossible to justify in any circumstances.

Francis and the Vatican are worried about the rising tide of nationalism that has swept across Europe and other parts of the world. The Holy See’s work with the U.N. shows the desire to support multilateral organizations while encouraging them to go back to their roots of finding global consensus to solve the world’s problems.

The pandemic, which is touching every part of the globe, has made this need more urgent. Francis wants the church to help “prepare the future” for the world that is emerging, and that includes an end to such conflicts.

“There is a war of interest, there is a war for money, a war for natural resources, a war to dominate people,” the pope said in 2016. “Some might think it is war of religion. It is not. All religions want peace. Others want war.”

The Vatican now wants to see changes to the global economic system, with the pope speaking of the “hypocrisy” and “sin” of the leaders of those countries that “speak of peace” but then sell weapons that fuel wars. Military spending is estimated at $2 trillion a year, while 2 billion people are affected by various wars.

With the pandemic, and the widespread unemployment that has followed, the need to think about the use of the world’s resources has become urgent.

“This is the time to rethink the entire financial system,” Father Augusto Zampini-Davies, the official helping to lead the Vatican’s COVID-19 commission, told me recently. “One of our main analyses is around the bailouts, and what to do because it’s public money. We are not saying we don’t have to rescue anybody, but this public money should serve the public interest — what we described as the common good.”

Banks and financial institutions, he explained, should look at how they can “forge the market” so as to help “regenerate the economy,” rather than just work toward recovery.

From working for world peace, protecting the environment and pushing for a fairer economic system, Francis has bolstered the moral authority of the papacy on the world stage. He has a voice that is listened to internationally — even if some political leaders would prefer to ignore it.

On the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the pope urged people to pray for those who govern them, even if there are certain “adjectives” that “we hear directed against those who govern.” He added: “Let God judge them; let us pray for those who govern! Let us pray, for they need prayer.”

In July, the pope slows down and has a staycation. His schedule is reduced and the Wednesday general audiences suspended. But as the world grapples with COVID-induced uncertainty this summer, expect Francis to continue to offer his roadmap through the crisis.

Topics:

  • pope francis

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