Vatican City, Aug 3, 2017 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican Secretary of State’s visit to Russia later this month comes at a crucial juncture for the country, and is packed with both political and religious significance.
He is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin and leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church during the trip.
On a political level, the visit of Cardinal Pietro Parolin – the dates of which have yet to be announced – comes as Russia faces rising tensions with the West over Syria and Ukraine, and possible meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Just this week the U.S. slapped Russia with more economic sanctions due to Russia’s involvement in the election. The decision prompted Putin to expell 755 people from its U.S. embassy and consulates.
On a religious level, Cardinal Parolin’s visit also comes at a key time, falling just a year and a half after the historic February 2016, meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The meeting marked the first time leaders from each Church sat down together since the Russian Orthodox Church was founded some 400 years ago.
While there might be fear and criticism regarding their engagement with Russia, “the Vatican is nevertheless willing to take this risk,” seasoned Vatican analyst Robert Moynihan told CNA.
“On the world scene there is no more important and more significant relationship right now than that between Russia and the West,” he said. So for the Vatican “to bring the highest diplomatic figure to the center of Russia and to have him speak with the highest authorities is a dramatic and significant gesture on the part of Pope Francis.”
“The benefit of direct contact and of sitting and talking is so great, and the threat of wider conflict in Ukraine and of deeper division between the West and Russia is viewed in Rome as so dangerous, that the Vatican … is willing to publicly make this trip and underline the fact that they have hope that these types of talks can lessen tensions,” he said.
“So this is the delicacy of the moment. I think it’s a courageous act on the part of the Vatican.”
Moynihan is an American journalist and is the editor-in-chief of Inside the Vatican magazine. Holding a Ph.D in Medieval Studies from Yale University, he is also founder of the Urbi et Orbi Foundation, which is dedicated to building relations between Catholics and other Christians throughout the world.
Throughout his career he has taken a special interest in Russia, having traveled there some 30 times since 1999.
Moynihan said the significance of Cardinal Parolin’s visit and the meetings he will hold have deep historical roots, making the trip a pivotal moment not only for the present, but also in terms of what the future could look like.
Political Relevance
Quoting an Oct. 1, 1939, BBC broadcast with Winston Churchill, Moynihan said Russia “is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” As such, it’s something “difficult to penetrate, to understand, [and] is a fascinating and important country.”
Russia is “a country that we should not put into a corner and condemn, but a country we should engage with and a country which can teach us many things,” he said.
In many ways still grappling with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia is in a sense trying to find its place, he said, adding that the complexity of the current situation has been triggered at least in part by the events that followed the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Among these events are the re-unification of Germany, the integration of Eastern bloc countries into Europe, and current questions on Russia’s own integration into Europe and what role border countries – namely the Baltic states and others such as Belarus and Ukraine – will play.
Looking specifically to Ukraine, Moynihan pointed the severity of the situation, and noted that most Ukrainians would sadly recognize that the democratic process in their country is going though “an extremely difficult transition period.”
This is due largely to the conflict in the eastern region of the country, which has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014, and crippled their economy.
With Cardinal Parolin’s visit, the Holy See will have the opportunity to play a similar role to the one it had in helping to broker restored ties between the U.S. and Cuba during the Obama administration, leading to the thaw of a 50 year freeze in relations.
Part of this mediation could come through the Catholic Church’s close ties with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which is 4-5 million people strong in a country of 40 million, and with the Latin and Orthodox communities in Ukraine.
“I’ve always thought there could be a religious off-ramp that could cut through the geopolitical and political haggling and distrust to say we are all human beings, we all have the faith in God and in Jesus Christ,” and even with differences, are able to go beyond “this geopolitical conflict,” Moynihan said.
In looking at the situation between Russia and Ukraine from both the religious and geopolitical sides, the Vatican recognizes “that it’s always good to have channels of communication open,” he said.
“The idea that the Vatican and that Cardinal Parolin himself continually emphasize that it’s better to communicate and to talk than to be in a cold, non-communicative standoff.”
Religious Relevance
Cardinal Parolin’s expected meeting with Patriarch Kirill comes as part of what Moynihan termed “a longing” to restore at least partial, if not full, unity among the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Since the 1964 meeting of Bl. Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople, the two traditions have reached a point “where the profound suspicion and distrust of some past centuries has diminished by the hard work of thoughtful men of both Churches as they’ve come to respect and appreciate the faith and learning of their counterparts.”
There are still those in the Orthodox community who view Rome with suspicion, believing them to be a controlling entity that would limit their freedom and strip them of their traditions. On the other hand, many in the Latin rite hesitate to draw closer to the Orthodox for fear that they are often closely linked with their governing states.
According to Moynihan, many fear that the meeting between Cardinal Parolin and Putin would be used “as a piece in a chess game for geopolitical purposes,” to make Russia seem less aggressive.
“The Vatican is nevertheless willing to take this risk,” he said, because they have hope the meeting might help “prepare the way for a just peace in situations of conflict and for closer union between these thousand year-divided Churches.”
Turning to the days of St. John Paul II, Moynihan noted that the Polish Pope, who was very familiar with Russia and the Soviet regime, had said that “the Church needs to breathe with two lungs, that we need to have closer relations with the Orthodox.”
Russian Orthodox themselves were “brutally and cruelly suppressed” under the Soviet Union, he said, noting that thousands of churches were burned, many thousands of Orthodox Christians were arrested, and hundreds of priests executed.
“The atheist, communist regime was a brutal regime for our Christian brothers in the Soviet Union and in Russia, so I think this is a cause for us to feel compassion toward them,” Moynihan said.
When faced with accusations that the Russian Orthodox Church is nationalistic and is being used as a puppet of the government, the journalist said he insists that, in his opinion, the Russian government “is attempting to become more of a normal country’s government.”
“It’s in reaction to the ideological rigor of the communist system that they are still torn by the mixture of nostalgia for the Soviet time and the attraction of this Western, liberal democratic culture.”
“They’re right in the middle of this transition process,” he said, noting that in recent years they have been rebuilding their churches and re-studying Christian tradition.
In his opinion, Moynihan said efforts are those of a people trying to return to the “wellspring of faith” that was cut off for 70 years by “a very pitiless, tyrannical, atheist regime.”
“For this reason I feel up and down the line we ought to engage with the Russians and with all Eastern Europeans, and that we should gain from them a sense of how Christians can survive under cultural and political pressure as we ourselves face our own challenges in our increasingly post-Christian Western societies.”
In this sense, Cardinal Parolin’s visit marks “one more step in a multi-decade, multi-century process in which the Church tries to keep communications with the Eastern Churches.”
One point Cardinal Parolin and Patriarch Kirill are likely to touch on in their upcoming meeting is the joint declaration signed by the Patriarch and Pope Francis during their meeting in Havana last year, which highlighted the need to work together to protect the environment, the poor, and the persecuted.
But odds are, when he meets with Putin, Cardinal Parolin will try to move the political pen on touchy issues, reinforcing the idea that the Holy See “can serve as a type of honest broker in between colossal powers, which are as we all know positioning themselves in very significant ways that will effect the future of Ukraine, the future of Eastern Europe, the future of Europe as a whole and the future of the world.”
So it is against this political and religious backdrop that Cardinal Parolin will enter “right at the hinge-point of this decision, of whether we will keep Russia excluded from polite society, whether we will actually confront Russia and have a conflict or a war,” Moynihan said.
“This is a dramatic moment, and I wish Cardinal Parolin all the best. I think he’s a balanced, competent, thoughtful man,” he said, but noted that there are still those who are concerned, wishing to keep Russia isolated on the global playing field.
“I take a different view,” he said. “I think it’s a trip that’s filled with hope and is something that must be done in order to allow us to evade, if we may evade, a great tragedy of wider conflict that could harm the entire region and the world.”
[…]
I posted this comment some days ago with the Nat Cath Reg: “When will it end? Cardinal Pell is one of the few Cardinals who agree submitting the Dubia has merit. Also 2016, “Pell pointed out that ‘those emphasising ‘the primacy of conscience’ only seemed to apply it to sexual morality and questions around the sanctity of life,’ the Catholic Herald reported.” Adding “‘The idea that you can somehow discern that moral truths should not be followed or should not be recognised [is] absurd’. Along with Cardinal Burke, Pell was recently removed from the Congregation for Divine Worship, the Vatican liturgy office” (LifeSite). We can’t assume the Vatican had a covert connection with the revival of these charges [long ago repudiated by Pell] by the Australian courts. However from my perspective Cardinal Pell has held the doctrinal line along with Cardinals Burke, Caffarra and co. And his embarrassment hurts their cause. It may also end with his removal. We seem to have a growing collection of dismissed prelates [the latest Cardinal Mueller Prefect of the CDF] who oppose the premises of AL and what’s occurring in National Bishops Conferences. This seems a prelude. Leaving the source or sources to the readers own devises that those who openly oppose the Pontiff’s policy of scriptural revision and redirecting the Church will meet with continued difficulties. There is a pattern. And cause for courage, support from Laity and clergy. But then is it not expected of us”. Author Weigel has similar suspicions that I expressed then, “We can’t assume the Vatican had a covert connection with the revival of these charges”. If someone with far more knowledge of Vatican machinations than I raises the question, then perhaps we can consider that possibility.
Yup. Spot on, Fr Morello.
The bishop of Rome plays for keeps.
I have long admired Pell, and hope he is vindicated. But this piece does not even touch on the question of the accusers. Much like the Fr. Maciel case, how is one to know the truth here? I always wonder why lie detector tests, though fallible, are not administered.
You still question the Maciel case?
No, my point is the reverse. So many people defended him, and he was a liar and a fake. Neuhaus lost a huge amount of credibility over the scandal, rightly so. Likewise JPII.
Lie detectors are not admissible evidence in Australian courts.
My thanks to Mr. Weigel for his gallant public support of his embattled friend. I only have one question. Does Mr. Weigel have any friends which, are say, janitors or plumbers?
I wish to thank Mr George Weigel for his wonderful article on our dear Cardinal Pell. I am totally convinced he is innocent as do many Australian Catholics. He is a wonderful example to all of us but he is carrying a heavy cross. In the end I believe he will be exonerated. Hopefully one day we will have him back in Aus.
The problem of being a character witness for a friend is that it is subjective. Extremely difficult to be objective to a friend. It might end the relationship. Others who have known and worked closer to Pell have a different take.
The merits of his case will not be determined on how many friends think he is a nice guy but did he or did he not do not nice things to others, especially young persons, and whether or not he covered for others who did not do nice things to young people. As Joe Friday said, “Just the facts, ma’am!” Hopefully, a court of law will deliver a more objective accounting of Pell.
Interesting the Weigh throws in this assertion: There is a new twist to this dirty business, however. Since 2014, Cardinal Pell has been responsible for draining the Vatican financial swamp of corruptions…
GW doesn’t provide any hard core facts other than his personal assertion.
I recall years ago when the clerical sex abuse scandal was emerging publicly, GW dismissed it as an American thing without any factual data. Did GW ever offer a mea culpa for this egregious diversion?
Considering that Catholics worldwide were in shock and disbelief when the priest sex scandal first gained credibility, Cardinal Pell’s initial response was no different than myself and every Catholic I know. Even Pope John Paul II, having first-hand knowledge of how Nazis and Communists lied about priests, was slow to believe there was truth behind the scandals. Yes, many believed the scandal was an “American thing,” so please don’t single out Pell.
Calm down. Have you studied the trial? Are you seriously proposing that the same biased legal system from which George Cardinal Pell got convicted based sympathy for an accuser and not evidence; which offer and objective judgment? This is a test for the future of the Australian Judiciary system and its children.
The list of cardinals being dismissed/terminated is growing day by day – one thing is certain- all of these good men are clinging to the faith and opposing heresy – is there any doubt as to who the real followers of Christ are?
God bless C. Burke, Sarah, Mueller, 3 CDF priests who were dismissed by PF, and now, C. Pell. Strange how heretics like James Martin, Capozzi (recent sex scandal), Paglia, Ricca, Daneels, Schonborn, Kasper, Bruno Forte, Badisseri and get plum positions and enjoy PF’s favor !
We pray for the godly men who are suffering like Christ said his followers would suffer. May God reward their faithfulness.
You should not lump these people in with cardinal pell. Cardianl peel has been hounded by the left in Australia , particularly the national broadcaster , ABC ever since he took over the archbishopric of Sydney. For them he is a symbol of the church militant. He has been vociferously opposed to the current campaign for same sex marriage , as well as every other fashionable left libertarian cause. The charges stem from accusations aired on the ABC, which could hardly be called criminal, and a lurid book written by one of their journalists, a weird combination of hearsay and her summation of his character, and it is thought by many to be a fiction. We are supposed to believe while the cardinal was supposed to be a serial pedophile , he also instituted the first and only inquiry and compensatory mechanism to deal with child sex abuse. At present we don’t even know the actual charges are. The police spent a whole year investigating this. It was sent to the Victorian public prosecutor TWICE and sent back with no recommendation to charge. The police have charged him, many believe, to simply save face. Pell has been supported by a large number of prominent non Catholic people ,including an prime minister , the leading indigenous politician, the Victorian law council and an ex ambassador to Italy who is fierce critic of the church. In short, it is a total fit up.
I meant to write EX prime minister (in fact 2.).
Angela, the leading indigenous politician? That would be Patrick Dodson i presume. I have not heard him comment on the case.
[Quote] Inigo
JULY 6, 2017 AT 9:08 AM
My thanks to Mr. Weigel for his gallant public support of his embattled friend. I only have one question. Does Mr. Weigel have any friends which, are say, janitors or plumbers? [End Quote]
Today we lost a much loved servant of Jesus in Fr Bob Maguire.
Fr Bob’s comment on Cardinal Pell’s opinion of him back in 2011:
” “George Pell has declared those of us Vatican II-ists to be ‘Cafeteria Catholics’ whereas he and his lot are authentic Catholics,” Father Maguire said at the time.
Mr Weigel has painted Melbourne as a city of godless Catholic haters, yet one who served in the character and model of Jesus the one who walked among us is revered and treasured by the people of Melbourne.
Search out Fr Bob Maguire on Twitter and you will read post after post from the NSW Conservative Premier to the comedians and self confessed atheists…all in prais and loving affirmation of Fr Bob and his walk of authentic spirituality. Mr Weigel you seemingly judge Melbourne and the people of Victoria from a platform of self serving narrative that knows nothing of the street level day to day service of men and women like Fr Bob. They are many and rich is the tapestry they weave in thought word prayer and deed.
John Safran:
“What was Father Bob like privately? Somehow kinder and funnier than he was publicly,” Safran said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“We somehow ‘fought’ nonstop from the moment the record button was pressed in 2004, through documentaries, radio shows and books, right through to filming this year, but we never once fought.”
Safran said he once asked Maguire how he remained kind to people who were not always pleasant towards him, to which he replied: “You don’t have to like people to love them.
“I never thought Bob would ever stop making me laugh, but with the sad news of today, he finally has,” Safran said.
——
Chris Minns
@ChrisMinnsMP
·
7h
Our nation has just lost a hero.
The people’s priest.
A social justice warrior.
And a man who dedicated his life to faith and standing up for those most vulnerable.
Vale Father Bob Maguire.
———
Peter Baker
@_PB_photography
·
1h
Father Bob, ‘patron of the unloved and the unlovely…’ Thanks for the beautiful words on #TheDrum
@vanbadham
.
Vale Father Bob Maguire, a proper great Australian. #FatherBob
[Quote] Inigo
JULY 6, 2017 AT 9:08 AM
My thanks to Mr. Weigel for his gallant public support of his embattled friend. I only have one question. Does Mr. Weigel have any friends which, are say, janitors or plumbers? [End Quote]
Today we lost a much loved servant of Jesus in Fr Bob Maguire.
Fr Bob’s comment on Cardinal Pell’s opinion of him back in 2011:
” “George Pell has declared those of us Vatican II-ists to be ‘Cafeteria Catholics’ whereas he and his lot are authentic Catholics,” Father Maguire said at the time.
Mr Weigel has painted Melbourne as a city of godless Catholic haters, yet one who served in the character and model of Jesus the one who walked among us is revered and treasured by the people of Melbourne.
Search out Fr Bob Maguire on Twitter and you will read post after post from the NSW Conservative Premier to the comedians and self confessed atheists…all in prais and loving affirmation of Fr Bob and his walk of authentic spirituality. Mr Weigel you seemingly judge Melbourne and the people of Victoria from a platform of self serving narrative that knows nothing of the street level day to day service of men and women like Fr Bob. They are many and rich is the tapestry they weave in thought word prayer and deed.
John Safran:
“What was Father Bob like privately? Somehow kinder and funnier than he was publicly,” Safran said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“We somehow ‘fought’ nonstop from the moment the record button was pressed in 2004, through documentaries, radio shows and books, right through to filming this year, but we never once fought.”
Safran said he once asked Maguire how he remained kind to people who were not always pleasant towards him, to which he replied: “You don’t have to like people to love them.
“I never thought Bob would ever stop making me laugh, but with the sad news of today, he finally has,” Safran said.
——
Chris Minns
@ChrisMinnsMP
·
7h
Our nation has just lost a hero.
The people’s priest.
A social justice warrior.
And a man who dedicated his life to faith and standing up for those most vulnerable.
Vale Father Bob Maguire.
———
Peter Baker
@_PB_photography
·
1h
Father Bob, ‘patron of the unloved and the unlovely…’ Thanks for the beautiful words on #TheDrum
@vanbadham
.
Vale Father Bob Maguire, a proper great Australian. #FatherBob