History’s first “multi-polar pope”

From John Allen in The Boston Globe: 

Francis, an Argentine, is the first pope in history to bridge the planet’s northern and southern hemispheres — the first multipolar pope, that is — and so he doesn’t carry the baggage of being seen as a Western leader.

For centuries, the Vatican’s default setting was to align itself with the perceived great Christian power or powers. For a long time that meant deciding which European monarchy to enlist, while after World War II it meant embracing the European Union and, to some extent, the United States. The idea was that the Vatican’s natural partner would be in the West, which was especially compelling as long as popes were themselves all Europeans.

Today, that assumption no longer holds. Two-thirds of the Catholics in the world live outside the West, and Francis is the first pope from the developing world. His election has freed Catholicism to adopt an à la carte style of diplomacy, forging alliances on specific issues but no longer positioning itself as the de facto chaplain of NATO.

On some issues, such as the Syrian conflict, Francis’ line has been closer to Russia and China than the Western powers. The pope’s feel for a multipolar world can also be glimpsed from the fact that he’s announced two trips to Asia — South Korea in August, and the Philippines and Sri Lanka in January — before he will go anywhere in either Europe or North America.

All that may do little to raise the odds of comity, much less a breakthrough, at the June 8 prayer summit, which will also be attended by a rabbi and a Muslim religious leader. For one thing, the headaches aren’t just diplomatic but also theological.

Jews and Muslims have their own sensitivities about praying with followers of other religions, while for Catholics, Pope John Paul II’s 1986 prayer summit in Assisi, Italy, the birthplace of St. Francis, opened a debate about the limits of interfaith prayer that has never really ended.

It will be fascinating to see what kind of ritual organizers invent, and whether it includes joint prayer or rather separate prayers in the same space.

At the level of realpolitik, it’s not yet clear if the pope’s brand of politics can move the ball, but perhaps that’s not the right test for a distinctly religious actor.

There’s much more. Read on.