Politics of papal legacy

BY CLAUDE SALHANI
Khaleej Times
6 April 2005

POPE John Paul II will enter history books as one of the Catholic Church’s more conservative popes, something for which many Catholics criticised him. But at the same time he will be remembered as one of the most politically proactive popes who helped change the course of history. Already a majority of American Catholics thinks he deserves to become a saint.


The pontiff worked hard to impose his conservative philosophy on the world’s more than 1.1 billion Catholics. He adopted a tough stance on morality issues and was adamantly in favour of maintaining the all-male, celibate priesthood, a point critics say contributed to the children sex abuse scandal.

The pope opposed the use of condoms, even though medical and political authorities — particularly in the developing world — tried hard to encourage their use in preventing the spread of HIV/Aids, a disease that killed more than 30 million people, and continues to kill about 8,000 people a day.

The pope opposed stem cell research, asking US President George W. Bush when the two men met in he Vatican, not to simply limit the research, but to ban it all together.

Still, John Paul II will be remembered as one of the most influential popes of our time, if not as one of the more politicised pontiffs who did not shy away from using his authority and influence, particularly in his fight against communism.

Many things differentiate this pope. He is the first Polish pope; he is the first non-Italian pope in 455 years; and unlike previous popes who largely remained in the Vatican, he became the first pope to break with rigid traditions by taking his papacy to the road. Despite his fragile health and his age Pope John Paul II was a man who seemed to have unlimited energy.

Since becoming pontiff, he made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within the country. As Rome’s bishop he visited nearly every parish — 317 of 333.

During World War II, he worked in a quarry and then a chemical factory to avoid deportation to Nazi Germany. He began studying for the priesthood in 1942, was ordained in 1946 and eventually rose to become archbishop of Krakow in 1964 and cardinal in 1967. Following his election as pope on Oct. 16, 1978, he began the crusade against communism.

The Soviet Union long viewed the United States — and its military might — as the greatest threat to its empire. But it was John Paul II, who as pope played a major role in bringing about its demise.

In 1935 then French foreign minister Pierre Laval approached Soviet dictator Josef Stalin asking him to liberalise his views on religion, hoping to appease the church, which in turn would give the French government support from the pope in the buildup against Germany. Stalin was reported to have responded, "The pope! How many divisions has he got?" The fact that this pope did not have military divisions under his command did not stop him from defeating communism.

Less than a year after being elected to the throne of St. Peter, on June 2, 1979, the pope made his first visit back to his native Poland, then still under communist rule. In a landmark speech he told his fellow Poles, "Do not be afraid."

Polish police were given orders to prevent residents from reaching the site where the pope was to celebrate mass. Instead they helped broadcast his speech through loudhailers mounted on their patrol cars. That is believed to be the trigger that encouraged mass resistance to communism breaking the shackles of communist rule across Eastern Europe leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the end of Soviet empire.

In 1983, the Pope visited Poland for a second time in defiance of martial law imposed by the pro-Moscow regime. He survived an assassination attempt two years earlier, on May 13, 1981, when Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turkish national fired three shots at the pontiff in St. Peter’s Square. The pope was hit in the abdomen, the left hand and the right arm.

It is believed that Agca was acting under orders from the Bulgarian intelligence service, who in turn were most likely obeying directives from the Soviet KGB. The Soviets were beginning to feel the pressure from the Vatican. The pope later met with his would-be killer, though details of the encounter in an Italian jail cell were never made public.

John Paul II was also the first pope to reach out to other faiths. He became the first pope to enter a Jewish house of worship when he made an impromptu visit to Rome’s main synagogue, joining Rabbi Elio Toaff in prayer. His actions helped bridge almost 2,000 years of discord between the two faiths.

He also made history as the first pope to ever visit a mosque, when he visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 2001 stressing the importance of Christian-Muslim understanding.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement, "Muslims worldwide respected Pope John Paul II as an advocate for justice and human rights. His message of international peace and interfaith reconciliation is one that will reverberate for decades to come."

No wonder Muslim and Jewish leaders in the Middle East have been unanimous in praising the pope for his efforts to promote peace in the region.

Claude Salhani is international editor and a political analyst with United Press International in Washington.

Politics & Policies: Lesser Arab expectations

By Claude Salhani
UPI International Editor

Published 4/5/2005 3:25 PM

WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- Once again the Arab world has been issued a report card -- and once again it has failed, trailing behind other regions. The report found the Arab world had less freedom, less democracy, and the slowness of tectonic plates in implementing reforms.

"Why, among all the regions of the world, do Arabs enjoy the least freedom?" the authors of a United Nations sponsored report ask.

The Third Arab Human Development Report published by the U.N. Development Programme, and titled "The Time Has Come: A Call for Freedom and Good Governance in the Arab World," was released Tuesday in Amman, the Jordanian capital. The results are both depressing and worrying.

The countries of the Arab world get failing grades in democracy, failing grades in freedom of the press, failing grades in freedom of speech and failing grades in movement towards political and social reforms. In some Arab countries -- the report points to Egypt, Sudan and Syria -- the state of emergency has become permanent and ongoing, while "none of the dangers warrant it."

In Cairo meanwhile, thousands of Egyptian university students demonstrated angrily against the government Tuesday, in the largest such protest yet to be staged. Egyptian students of Al Azhar University -- some of them veiled -- held up signs saying "No Emergency Law."

Islamists, liberals and nationalists, united under the umbrella of the "Kifaya" Movement, Arabic for "enough," want an end to Egypt's 24-year-old state of emergency, as well as an end to the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981.

Continued application of so-called "Emergency Laws," and in many cases martial law, deny the citizens many constitutional rights. Basic civil rights and privileges, often taken for granted in most of the world, such as inviolability of the home, personal liberty, freedom of opinion, expression and the press, confidentiality of correspondence, rights of movement and assembly, are widely ignored across much of the Arab world.

While political stagnation generally has been the rule, some changes are creeping in. Lebanon has campaigned for the departure of Syrian forces from its territory, and Jordan's King Abdullah II Tuesday appointed a new prime minister, instructing him to speed up reforms.

In Syria, all hope for reforms now hinges on the forthcoming Baath Party regional conference, expected to take place in May or June. Rumors have it that some "very big changes" are on the way. "The biggest change Syria has seen in 50 years," report Syrian exiles.

SyriaComment.com, a usually well-informed blog site, quotes sources outside the country saying that these changes could include emptying all prisons, allowing a free press, authorizing new political parties, allowing the return of thousands of Syrian exiles and issuing Syrian passports to Kurds. Those are indeed great expectations.

The near-complete consensus among the authors of the report is "that there is a serious failing in the Arab world," the primary cause being political and not cultural reasons.

In a systematic survey of the pace of political change in the Arab world, the report, produced by an independent group of leading Arab scholars and intellectuals, found urgent need for reform.

It warns that violence could erupt unless "a rapid acceleration of democratic reform, with specific proposals for new regional human rights institutions, robust and freely elected legislatures, and truly independent judiciaries," are put into place.

The report recommends immediate steps be taken to:

-- Respect freedoms of opinion, expression and association.

-- End all types of marginalization and discrimination against social groups and minorities.

-- Guarantee the independence of the judiciary and ending reliance on military tribunals and other "exceptional" courts.

-- The end of "states of emergency" that have become permanent features of governance in the region.

In a highly critical appraisal of progress toward democratization in the Arab world, the report issues "a call for urgent corrective action." The authors warn that unless Arab governments move at a faster pace to implement reforms, they could face "chaotic" social upheaval.

The authors of the report warn, "If the repressive situation in Arab countries today continues, intensified societal conflict is likely to follow," leading to violence in "the absence of peaceful and effective mechanisms to address injustice."

The result could be "chaotic upheavals."

"There is a change in mindsets in the region," said Dr. Rima Khalaf Hunaidi, U.N. assistant Secretary-General and director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States in UNDP and the chief overseer of the Arab Human Development Reports. "We are moving with greater confidence in a new direction now, and there is a strong awareness of the irreversibility of change -- change driven by the Arab street, not change adopted from afar."

The popular movements urging political adjustment in Egypt and Lebanon are indications that the Arab world cannot continue to stand still while the rest of the world move along at an accelerated pace.

The continued usurping of power in the hands of Arab leaders, be they royalty, military dictatorship, or civilians elected without any real competition "has created a kind of political black hole at the centre of Arab political life," the authors say.

"By 21st century standards, Arab countries have not met the Arab people's aspirations for development." This status quo "is no longer sustainable."

The U.N. report cautions that if the Arabs themselves do not take real steps towards change, the global powers will step in and lead the process of reform from outside.

"Arab countries cannot ignore the fact that the world, especially the powerful players in the global arena, will continue to safeguard their interests in the region, the report stated.

--

(Comments may be sent to Claude@upi.com.)

Copyright © 2001-2005 United Press International

Politics & Policies: The political pope

By Claude Salhani
UPI International Editor

Published 4/4/2005 11:19 AM

WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- There is no argument among supporters and opponents of Pope John Paul II over the impact he had on the world of politics, religion and social morality. In fact, a majority of American Catholics believe John Paul II deserves sainthood. Chances are he will most likely be canonized.

Both those who approved of his conservative views and those who opposed them agree John Paul II was a great man and a remarkable pontiff who guided he Catholic Church through some turbulent times, such as the sexual abuse scandals that came to light a few years ago. The pope will no doubt enter history books as someone who helped change the Church and altered the course of history.

The argument, rather, is over how his conservative philosophy affected many of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, particularly those living in the developing and under-developed worlds.

As the staunch conformist he was, John Paul II was often accused of failing to accept the reality of our time on issues such as celibacy in the all-male priesthood, and his continued ban on the use of condoms as a means of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

In an article published in The Nation on Oct. 16, 2003, commenting on the pope's refusal to allow condoms for medical reasons, columnist Katha Pollit asked "Is the Pope Crazy?"

Pollit argued that though medical authorities -- hundreds of doctors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the U.N.'s World Health Organization as well as a number of foundations fighting HIV/AIDS, encouraged the use of condoms, as did a number of Catholic bishops around the world -- the pope remained adamantly opposed on the issue, insisting abstinence was the answer.

Abstinence is the best answer when people manage to abstain, which is hardly the case in many parts of the world.

Condoms4Life, a project of Catholics for a free choice, designed to raise public awareness about the devastating effect of the bishops' ban on condoms, launched a worldwide campaign in 2001, displaying ads on large billboards, in newspapers and in subway, saying "Banning Condoms Kills."

Disagreeing with the Vatican's view that the use of condoms are sinful, a 2004 study carried out by the WHO found "condoms significantly reduce the risk of HIV in men and women."

Last January Juan Antonio Mart?nez Camino, secretary general of the Spanish bishops' conference, was reported saying "condoms are part of the integral and global prevention of AIDS."

As could be expected, the statement set off a flurry of statements and responses from bishops and bishops' conferences. "Ultimately," according to the Catholic activists' Web site, "the Vatican and the Spanish bishops' conference cracked down on the discussions about the appropriate use of condoms as part of a full and comprehensive prevention strategy for HIV/AIDS."

According to the WHO, AIDS kills more than 8,000 people every day. That amounts to one person dying every 10 seconds. WHO estimates that since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 30 million people have died from HIV/AIDS.

At any rate, when questioned about the pope's reign, American Catholics say the pope did a good job, overall. A new poll conducted jointly by Le Moyne College and Zogby International reveals a majority of American Catholics -- 67 percent -- strongly believes the late pontiff will be made a saint.

In a survey of 888 American Catholics nationwide conducted April 3, one day after the pontiff's death, respondents to the Le Moyne College/Zogby Contemporary Catholic Trends Poll were nearly universal in saying they held a favorable impression of John Paul II, with a whopping 98 percent saying they "either held a very or somewhat favorable impression of the late Church leader."

Nine-in-ten, or 90 percent of American Catholics agree the pontiff understood the challenges facing the American Catholic Church.

The pope does get somewhat weaker marks in one area, however. While 70 percent say the pontiff was an effective leader for improving the status of women in the Church, they are mixed in their intensity, with 39 percent strongly agreeing and 31 percent only somewhat agreeing with the sentiment. Women agreed the pope had improved their status in the Church at a slightly higher rate than men, by a 72 percent to 68 percent margin.

The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Whether he is canonized or not, John Paul II will be remembered as one of the most influential popes of our time, and as one of the more politicized pontiffs, who did not shy away from using his influence to impose his philosophy.

If the pope was unmovable on issues of morality, he proved far more flexible when it came to accepting and reaching out to other religions.

John Paul II became the first pope to reach out to other faiths. He was the first pope to enter a Jewish house of worship when he made an impromptu visit to Rome's main synagogue, joining Rabbi Elio Toaff in prayer. His actions helped bridge almost 2,000 years of disaccord between the two faiths.

The pope also made history as the first pope to ever visit a mosque, when he visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 2001, stressing the importance of Christian-Muslim understanding.

Muslim and Jewish leaders in the Middle East were unanimous in praising the pope for his efforts to promote peace in the area.

Copyright © 2001-2005 United Press International

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