Elizabeth Morgan | Pope Francis – an advocate on global economic and environmental issues

ON EASTER Monday, the world awoke to the news of Pope Francis’ death. He was the first leader of the global Roman Catholic Church of 1.4 billion people who was from the Global South. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Argentina in 1936 and had been Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He was surprisingly elected Pope in March 2013. He took as his papal name, Francis, in honour of St Francis of Assisi, champion of the poor, immigrants and the environment. Pope Francis, in his mission, wanted to emulate St Francis by also focusing on the poor and marginalised in the world, and on the threat to the environment. He wanted to spotlight what he termed “the globalisation of indifference”.

A local radio host here once expressed his view that the Church was not interested in global issues.

SPIRITUAL LEADER AND HEAD OF STATE

Pope Francis was foremost the spiritual leader of the world’s Catholics, their pastor. He, however, was also a head of state of the world’s smallest country, officially known as the Holy See (the Vatican City State), located in Rome, Italy. This position as head of state made him a world leader, whether or not he sought that title. The Pope could also be seen as the de facto leader of Christians around the world. His role as head of state opens many doors and makes him the most recognisable leader of a religious order in the world. Like him or not, many worldwide can recognise the Pope, and the international media report what he does and says.

ROLE IN DIPLOMACY

The papacy is one of the oldest practitioners of diplomacy in the world dating back to the fourth century.

The Holy See has a government structure. Besides the pope, the head of government is the secretary of state, who is currently Italian, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The foreign minister, the secretary for relations with states, is currently Briton, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. The Holy See, through the Secretariat of State, has diplomatic relations with 186 countries, including countries in CARICOM. Haiti established diplomatic relations in 1881 and Jamaica in 1979. It is also accredited to regional bodies, such as CARICOM and the European Union.

The Holy See has a foreign service and appoints representatives to countries with which it has diplomatic relations. The ambassador is known as the Apostolic Nuncio. The embassy is known as the Apostolic Nunciature. The Apostolic Nuncio to CARICOM countries, since November 2022, is Archbishop Santiago de Witt Guzmán, who is stationed at the Apostolic Nunciature in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The CARICOM region, including Haiti, is estimated to have about 6.5 million Catholics.

The Holy See also has observer status in international and regional organisations, such as the United Nations and its specialised agencies, the World Trade Organization, and the Organization of American States.

Thus, the Holy See, representing the Catholic faithful, has a voice in global affairs, promoting social and economic justice, and advocating for peace in the world. Of course, the Church has also addressed thorny cultural issues in areas such as population, health, and education. The pope also had to grapple with the management of the global church with all its accompanying challenges inside and out of the institution. Pope Francis saw the Church as a field hospital, dealing with all the wounded.

POPE FRANCIS ON GLOBAL ISSUES

Pope Francis was not afraid of speaking truth to power as needed. He did not shirk from controversy.

In 2015, he addressed the UN General Assembly and was the first pope to address a joint sitting of the US Congress. It is reported that Pope Francis visited about 65 countries during his pontificate.

THE ISSUES

* Economic inequalities in the world – Pope Francis condemned the new tyranny of unfettered capitalism and the idolatry of money. He felt that the international system was unjust and did not address the root causes of poverty. It had created a throwaway culture in which not only things, but people, were disposable. For him, the focus should be on creating a culture that promoted justice and inclusion, not indifference to the needs of people, especially the most vulnerable in the world.

* Climate change – for Pope Francis, God created the world, man’s home, and stewardship meant caring for that homeland. He was the first pope to frontally address these issues of environmental degradation and the climate change crisis, pointing to man’s responsibility for creating it and for acting to reverse it. In May 2015, he put his thoughts on the environment into words when he published his encyclical, a papal letter, titled ‘Laudato Si’ (‘Praised be to you’). Pope Francis wrote, “This sister (Mother Earth) now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her …”. This has been a very influential document, meant not only for the Catholic Church, but for the world, indicating that climate change is not a hoax, but a spiritual, moral, and economic issue.

The essence of this encyclical would have been presented at the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 21) held in Paris, France, in December 2015. At that conference, the landmark agreement to combat climate change was adopted (the Paris Accord).

In October 2023, Pope Francis produced a follow-up papal exhortation titled ‘Laudato Deum’ on the climate crisis, calling for urgent action to combat this crisis. He had hoped to attend the Climate Conferences, COP28 and 29, to address the issue in person. He was not able to due to ill health.

* Immigration – Pope Francis had deep concerns about the treatment of immigrants/refugees around the world. His parent’s families migrated to Argentina from Italy. Jesus was a refugee when his family fled to Egypt for safety. Pope Francis saw the ill-treatment of migrants as a “grave sin”. He took every opportunity to address the plight of migrants risking their lives to cross dangerous terrains, deserts, seas, and rivers in search of a better life, and the rejection they encountered in many countries. He endeavoured to give assistance where possible, and was not afraid to incur the wrath of powerful leaders.

* Peace – Pope Francis addressed all the conflicts around the world, trying to bridge gaps in order to be a peacebuilder. He visited Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He addressed the conflicts in the Middle East and in Ukraine. Conflicts and economic inequalities created refugees and migrants.

So, the Catholic Church, led by Pope Francis, in spite of its own internal tribulations, has endeavoured to be on the frontlines addressing global issues through words and deeds. This is the Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church, marked every 25 years. It promotes forgiveness, reconciliation and renewal. The theme is ‘Pilgrims of hope’. It has been proposed that there could be global action in aid of the poor. Could this be a reality in these times?

Pope Francis, rest in peace. We look to a new pope who, in this time of global crises, should be a fearless voice of reason in the global public square.

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.