Global political leaders realise the Pope 'has many troops'

The Business Times ^ | April 14, 2005 | LEON HADAR

[lizol]

Global political leaders realise the Pope 'has many troops'

By LEON HADAR

IT is said that in World War II, when the Soviet dictator Stalin was advised that the Pope was against one of his policies, he asked: 'How many troops does the Pope have? God is on the side of the big battalions.'

He was wrong of course. Stalin's Soviet Union has disappeared and the communist ideology had been discredited. But the Catholic church is flourishing, including in the former Soviet bloc and especially in Poland, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II.

In fact, while Stalin's how-many-troops-does-the-Pope-have comment has been regarded more as a legend that a historical fact, very few historians would challenge the view that Pope John Paul II, the former Archbishop Karol Wojtyla had played a crucial role in accelerating the process that led to the collapse of the Soviet empire as he helped mobilise the Catholic population of Poland in opposition against the communist government in Warsaw.

Disintegration

And indeed the anti-communist protests in Poland, led by the Solidarity movement and inspired by the Polish Pope marked the beginning of the unravelling of the Evil Empire which culminated in the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.

That nearly every head of state in the world attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II, reflect their appreciation of the spiritual and political authority of the Papacy.

Ironically, the other powerful force that was instrumental in weakening the Soviet power were the US-backed Islamic guerillas in Afghanistan.

Conspiracy theorists suggest that the fact that another native of Poland and staunch anti-communist, the then US National Security Adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski spent a month in Rome before the conclave that elected Archbishop Wojtyla as Pope in 1978 - following the sudden death of John Paul I who governed the Vatican for only 33 days - wasn't just a coincidence.

Mr Brzezinski had first met the next Pope in 1976 when he was serving as Archbishop of Cracow in 1976 and the two became close political allies in the struggle against communism.

By appointing Mr Brzezinski as his adviser, the then US president Jimmy Carter recognised that he was ensuring that Washington and the Vatican would be able to communicate more effectively in dealing with their common interests. Indeed, there is no doubt that secular governments have recognised that the Pope has many troops.

That nearly every head of state in the world attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II, reflect their appreciation of the spiritual and political authority of the Papacy.

Hence, secular governments worldwide are taking an interest in the current Papal election.

At the same time, the fact that the cardinals who will elect the new Pope are locked into part of the Vatican with a key until the election is over is part of a calculated effort to prevent the secular governments and the media from affecting the deliberations in the Vatican.

Nevertheless, the 115 cardinals who will choose the successor to John Paul II are also going to make a political statement that could have a major impact on world affairs in the coming years and in particular, could help determine the relationship between Christians and Muslims as well as the geo-political role of a unifying Europe.

If for example, the cardinals select their colleague, Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pope it would be a indication that the Vatican will pursue a more assertive role in the global arena and in particular in relationship with the Muslim world.

Cardinal Ratzinger, who has been a close aide to Pope John Paul II, believes that one of the most important role of the Catholic church should be to resist the rising secularism in Europe and to strengthen the more conservative political forces there.

In that context, Cardinal Ratzinger is concerned over the revival of Islam in Europe and worldwide and has been opposed to the idea of Muslim Turkey joining the European Union (EU).

And while he has called for continuing dialogue with Muslims, he supports the need for accentuating the religious commitment of Christians in Europe. At 78, Cardinal Ratzinger may be too old to become a Pope, but he could play a major role in the selection process. Another contender for the a Pope is the 60-year-old Christoph Schonborn, who as the Archbishop of Vienna has called for dialogue with the Muslim world and for a reconciliation with the Eastern Orthodox churches.

Like Cardinal Ratzinger, he would promote the concept of a Christian Europe but would probably do that by adopting a less confrontational approach, which is also expected to be the modus operandi of some of the Italian cardinals that could end up in St Peters.

And then there are 'wild cards', like Francis Arinze, a Nigerian who would probably tend to put emphasis on improving relations with Muslims and other Third World Christian communities; or Ignazio Gong Pinmei, the former Archbishop of Shanghai who was expelled from China in 1985 after being imprisoned for more than 20 years for refusing to intergate with the Chinese government's 'official' church.

It wouldn't be surprising that some of those US officials and lawmakers who are calling for a more aggressive strategy to 'contain' China are also hoping that this anti-communist Chinese cleric would be elected Pope.

[Mr. Mojo]

"when the Soviet dictator Stalin was advised that the Pope was against one of his policies, he asked: 'How many troops does the Pope have?'"

Actually Joe asked "How many divisions does the Pope have?"