“We must prepare for a new age of political audacity for the Holy See,” said Marco Impagliazzo, president of the Rome-based Community of Sant’ Egidio during an interview in 2014. Some believe that Pope Francis is more important politically than even John Paul II who worked with U.S. President Ronald Reagan to engineer the collapse of European Communism. Francis, being the first pope from the developing world, has a grasp of every major issue facing the world today, poverty, immigration, environment and war. And he is using his bully pulpit and geopolitical influence to do something about them.
For instance, Francis’ assisted the United States and Cuba with rapprochement, by writing personal and private letters to President Obama and dictator Raul Castro. The two nations are now on track toward full diplomatic relations.
When the United States was trying to develop support for war against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad for using sarin gas on his own people in 2013, the Vatican could see, through contacts with the Catholic leadership and leaders of other denominations in the Middle East, that removing Assad would have ushered in something far worse for Catholic and Christian communities living in Syria. The rise of the radical ISIS and its targeting of Christian communities in its declared “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria demonstrated the very thing the churchmen were concerned about.
On September 7, 2013, Francis presided over a five-hour prayer vigil for Syria. The Vatican estimated that hundreds of millions of people around the world watched the prayer vigil on television. After that, western nations stopped promoting war on Assad. Later when he visited Jordan, Syrian refugees brandished signs thanking the pontiff for “saving our country.”
Pope Francis is bringing back the Vatican’s geopolitical swagger after a dysfunctional and scandal ridden papacy of Benedict XVI.
Then in June of 2014 Pope Francis took the audacious step of inviting the presidents of Israel and Palestine to the Vatican, “my house” as he called it, to pray for peace. Shimon Perez and Mahmoud Abbas both accepted the invitation and the prayer meeting happened on June 8. The meeting opened a new backchannel of diplomacy “under the cover of religious piety,” while also legitimizing prayer as a means of communicating with and between other religions, especially those in conflict. Managing perceptions carefully, the pope had also invited Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople in an ecumenical gesture to show that this was not just a Vatican project, but also a project of the wider Christian community. It would also show that the Vatican is trying to build ecumenical partnerships behind diplomatic peace initiatives.
Francis wants to be seen as the “peace pope,” but his actions are very good politics. Since many conflicts have underlying religious issues, the pope can engage them in a fashion that no other secular leader or diplomat can. And Francis is very personal about it. His personal charisma helps him “handcraft” peace initiatives unique to each situation based on his personal ties.
The pope and the Vatican use the peace process to develop strong support for the church and its geopolitical influence. As papal influence rises dramatically under the papacy of Francis, watch for more dramatic moves that will make all the kings of the earth seek his counsel, support and collaboration.
“And by peace he shall destroy many.” Daniel 8:25
This article is based on part of a new book, The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church, by John L. Allen Jr., published by Time Books.
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Comments
Warrine Harden
Thursday April 16th, 2015 at 10:16 AMNo surprise; but, thank you for the update.
Allison
Thursday April 16th, 2015 at 01:44 PMThanks, Pastor Hal.
I really appreciate all your updates.
We are sharing these with friends in Africa.
margaret Robinson
Thursday April 16th, 2015 at 11:01 PMWell….it’s all happening. Please God hurry up
Outi
Friday April 17th, 2015 at 01:17 AMThanks, pastor Hal,
Jesus himself asks believers to be peacemakers.
Matt. 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Dan. 8:25 is about Antiochus Epiphanes who asserted himself against the Lord. This detail of the prophecy proved to be quite accurate, for the Seleucid king declared himself to be theos epiphanes, “God Manifest”. Antiochus was brought low, not by the human hand of a soldier or assassin, but by the hand of God, who struck the king with excruciating afflictions in his body (2 Mac 9:5-12).
Evang. Stephen Ubani
Friday April 17th, 2015 at 05:32 AMPastor Hal. Thank you for this revelation it is certain that our probation is fast closing. May God help us to stand the trying of our faith amen.
Ville
Wednesday April 22nd, 2015 at 01:02 AMHi Outi,
There are many problems with Epiphanes interpretation. First of all, many times when the little horn is understood as Epiphanes, it lacks the day-year principle, on which the Messiah Prophecy of 2300 years is built.
Secondly, according to Dan. 7, little horn arises from the fourth kingdom (Rome) not from the third kingdom (Macedonia-Greece). Dan. 7 is in line with Dan. 2th statue. The reason why Rome is not included (as a political power) in the 8th chapter is because it deals with worship (it deals with temple and Messiah; even the two animals: ram and goat are both sacrificial animals [as a symbol for the chapters meaning]). There are same kind of examples of chapters that complete each other and explains the same time chapter from different views in the Bible (Revelation for example).
Thirdly, the persecution by Epiphanes in the Maccabees is legendary by a large portion (Zdravko Stefanovic, Daniel – Wisdom to the Wise, p. 32).
Forth, Greece was divided in four parts, as the Bible also tells, and Epiphanes came from the Syrian section (from Seleucus). The little horn was separate and new, different because of its religious massiveness and blasphemy.
Fifth, it is interesting that Medo-Persia is called “great” (Dan. 8:4), Alexanders kingdom is called “very great” (8:8) but the little horn is called “exceedingly great” (8:9). Now, Antiochus Epiphanes did not become exceedingly great comparing to Alexander the Greats massive kingdom.
And the last, Epiphanes does not fit the biblical typology of Babylon and The Harlot (which means a fallen church, which includes the fallen law [“changes times and laws”] and the fallen gospel [which includes the Sanctuary service; Jesus is not the only redeemer according to the Catholic Church]). Epiphanes does not fit in the global scale of Antichrist. He could not have risen against the Prince of the host because he was history when Jesus rouse in the Heavenly Sanctuary and purified it with His blood.
Outi is a finnish name. If you can read finnish, you are welcomed to visit my webpage totuudensanat.com and read more (http://totuudensanat.com/category/raamatun-ennustukset-apokalyptiikka/).
J MacMillan Jr
Friday April 24th, 2015 at 11:13 PMAnother Sign of the Times we live in as was predicted in the Bible. The whole world will wander after the “beast” (symbolism for one who has political (state) and religious power. Rev. 13: