Oh Pope Francis, work your magic!
As the frightening Obama Iran Nuke capitulation seems perhaps to be stalling on all sides; John Allen, Pope Francis, and Obama remain believers. Seeing how effective the Pope was in lining America up with the Cuban thug regime, Allen suggests it’s time for Pope Francis work another miracle. Will the Vicar of Christ come through?
Popes generally use their Easter Urbi et Orbi address, “to the city and the world,” to pray for peace amid global conflicts. Francis followed that tradition on Sunday, among other things commenting on a tentative nuclear deal between the P5+1 nations, including the United States, and Iran.
The pontiff said, “In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world.”
That may not amount to a direct endorsement, but it’s certainly more favorable than the commentary coming from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Republicans in Congress about the outline for an accord reached April 2 in Switzerland, not to mention Iranian hardliners who see it as a threat to their national interests. (On Monday, Israel backed off its insistence that Iran halt all uranium enrichment, a move seen as acknowledgement that the pact required concessions on all sides.)
What is the political point of Pope Francis? Is it to go around lending ‘spiritual’ leverage to enemies of the Church worldwide? Why do John Boehner, Jeb Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden all seem to be faithful new Catholics of FrancisChurch? Does he have something they all want?
Moderates on both sides of the divide, in other words, may struggle to bring along the hawks in their own shops. In that effort, the Vatican could turn out to be a surprisingly potent resource.
First of all, Pope Francis has plenty of political capital at the moment because of his high approval ratings and perceptions of his moral authority. He also has a proven capacity to translate that capital into results, as his role in restoring relations between the United States and Cuba illustrates.
If Francis were to lend his seal of approval to the nuclear deal, even campaigning for it in the oblique but unmistakable way popes sometimes do on political matters, it could move the needle in terms of public opinion.
On a more long-term basis, the Vatican may be the global institution with the best shot at rebuilding trust between Iran and the West.
Is it ‘building trust’ or just lending false credibility in the name of Christ?