Pope Francis has been calling the Christian parish in Gaza every afternoon for weeks. The Pontiff connects by videoconference and around 600 people listen to him and receive his encouragement and support. This is one of the few things he can do at the moment, because the situation has become very complicated, also for the Holy See, which is unable to influence and make itself heard to obtain the ceasefire so anticipated. Last week, tension between Israel and the Vatican escalated. Secretary of State Pietro Parolin denounced that the right of self-defense does not justify a “carnage” of “30,000 dead”. The next day, the Israeli embassy in Italy published a statement assuring that the comments of the Vatican number two were “deplorable”. But the Holy See did not back down and L’Osservatore Romanothe official newspaper of the Pope, once again mentioned the conflict in the same terms as Parolin to emphasize that it is not a question of a personal opinion, but of the line of thought of this pontificate.
The problems are growing in the two regions at war, and on the other side of the Tiber, we see, helplessly, the days passing and the deaths multiplying: in Gaza, but also in Ukraine. The legendary Vatican diplomacy, which forged its history as a mediator in wars and political conflicts, suddenly found itself faced with two unexpected scenarios for which it had few resources to influence. The war in Ukraine, even though relations with Moscow were not taking off, and the massacre in Gaza, perhaps at a time when harmony with Israel is at its lowest, are two challenges for the Holy See which is overcoming with difficulty. .
The pope decided to entrust the mission in Ukraine to the cardinal and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Matteo Zuppi. The cardinal is an expert negotiator: he served as mediator in the resolution of conflicts in Mozambique in 1992, in the ceasefire in Burundi in 2003 after collaborating with Nelson Mandela, and in Guatemala in the mid-90s. “Every war ends with a negotiation,” he said in a recent interview. Nearly eight months later, he held meetings in Ukraine, Russia, China and the United States. He will soon travel to France to meet President Emmanuel Macron. But the results, for now, are limited to keeping all channels open and valuable humanitarian work that is, however, far from mediating peace.
Other channels
Massimo Faggioli, Church historian and professor of theology at Villanova University (Philadelphia), adds some nuances. “The wars in Ukraine and Gaza have incorporated more voices into the Secretariat of State’s Vatican diplomacy, even if it is done in parallel to Cardinal Zuppi’s mission. But on the other hand, it is clear that we are going through a very difficult period for all diplomacy, starting with the United States. The Vatican, however, has other channels, such as local churches and their representatives, that other state organizations do not have.”
Stefano Caprio, a priest expert in international conflicts and in Russia, where he lived for long periods, believes that the two wars must be differentiated in the treatment reserved for them by the Vatican. “Diplomacy in the Ukraine war is not handled directly by the Secretary of State. This is done more informally, with Cardinal Zuppi. And there is no great progress there. It is true that some deported children (to Russia) were sent back, but nothing else. As soon as the armed conflict calms down, we will try to seek meetings between ecclesiastical jurisdictions,” he underlines. Relations with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow do not help either. “But the foreign representative of the Orthodox is in constant contact with Catholics, both in Moscow and here in the Vatican, where he usually comes. This relationship exists. But for the moment, this is not producing results because there is no clear project,” he emphasizes.
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As for Israel, Caprio emphasizes, there is still work to do, but the situation is more tense. The Pope insists that the Oslo Accords be respected and that we commit to the two-state solution. The last time he said it in a long interview with the Turin newspaper La Stampa. In this conflict, in which the Christian community of Palestine is also involved, Francis fully trusts Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of the Jerusalem of the Latins.
Parolin’s words from last week must be interpreted from a certain point of view: the Holy See is fed up with nothing moving in Gaza. The Vatican saw how many other countries raised their voices against Israel and Parolin raised the level of the petition. “He has designated Israel as the party that can end the conflict. This goes beyond, it is true, the prudence of Vatican diplomacy. But this is also due to the fact that in recent days clear positions have been taken by important countries such as the United States, Italy, France and Spain or Ireland, which had already done so in beginning,” underline diplomatic sources.
The Vatican is looking for imaginative formulas to help improve the situation of the people of Ukraine and Gaza. For example, during the next World Children’s Day, which will take place in May in Rome, 30 Palestinian boys and girls will travel to the Italian capital. The situation is not yet defined, but Holy See sources hope it could mean the start of some kind of humanitarian corridor.
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