Bishops from Eastern Europe and Africa have been the most active in the revolt that has taken place at the Synod of Bishops. A peaceful –but strong– revolt. A revolt which followed the publication of the ‘relatio post disceptationem’, the synod’s midterm report. Cardinal Petr Erdo, General Rapporteur of the synod, had kept the relatio balanced, stressing at the opening of the evangelization the need for better-formed priests and faithful. But the very same Cardinal Erdo then distanced himself from a text it was not completely his own, and which generated an intense discussion in the synod’s hall right after he read it.

Going beyond the polemics on the so-called opening regarding same-sex unions and with respect to divorced and remarried catholics, what was really missing in the relatio was reference to the Gospel. The relation was just a snapshot of reality, a faithful portrait of the current situation where, in the end, there was no space for Christian hope. With that ‘relatio’, the Church had given up shaping the world, and had decided to allow itself to be shaped by the world. This perspective had been effectively summarized by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, during a briefing with journalists: «We cannot choose our faithful, we should go toward them.»

This was the setting of the relatio post disceptationem. The relatio recalled the limits of Liberation Theology. Id est, the limits of a perfect sociological analysis that is not able to go beyond the current situation. So much so, that the Marxism applied by Liberation Theology as a tool of analysis theorized about the class struggle and revolution,but in order to generate a new equilibrium rather than to change the people’s heart. Christianity, on the other hand, really goes beyond sociology. It is the Gospel, with its mission of love and its teaching based on truth, that can really shape the world and make it better.

Even the perspective behind the relatio denoted an understanding of a Church whose vision would be limited. Far from highlighting the beauty of the Christian life and the great examples that Catholic families provide to the faithful, the synod’s midterm report focused on the irregular situations, underscoring the need for a new, merciful approach. «As if the Church was not merciful before, and now it is,» said Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, president of the Polish bishops’ Conference.

In fact, all that the relatio dealt with was a Church in need of a new approach. Some claimed that this new approach could be achieved even by eventually changing the doctrine. «The Church can have a change of mind. For example, we know that the Church at the beginning was in favor of slavery, and latershe was not anymore,» said Victor Fernandez, rector of the Catholic University of Argentina, vicepresident of the Commission for the Synod’s Message to the People of God, and Pope Francis’ ghostwriter.

This is a dangerous thesis, and also a false one. From St. Paul on, Christianity has always fought against slavery. So much so, that the first to speak about human rights were the Dominican Fathers Bartolomé de Las Casas and Francisco de Vitoria: sent to America, they coined the expression “human rights” and stressed they were universal, thus rejecting the way the ‘indios’ were treated by the conquistadores.

Of this contribution to international law, as well as many other Catholics’ contributions, there is no record in a large part of all the books written about the history of international law. In fact, almost all of these books have been written after the Enlightenment, with the purpose of finally getting rid of the Church’s teaching. The years of Enlightenment introduced a prejudice against the Church that continues today.

It continues particularly in South America, where the colonial powers pushed the Pope to abolish the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits): they were guilty of having established missions in South America, and teaching the ‘indios’ how to be independent. The movie ‘The Mission’ recounts this story well, which seems to be forgotten.

In fact, Pope Francis’ Argentina is the country that has lived through, more than any other, the new colonization, that of secularism. In only one year, Argentina introduced in its legislation gay-rights bills that allowed gay marriage and in-vitro fertilization, as reported by the 2012 Report on the Social Teaching of the Church issued by the Van Thuan Observatory.

African Bishops seem to be the most aware of the historic risks. It is because Africa is still a colonized continent. There, the Catholic Church is the most important institution working to create conditions for development, in the context of the common good. The Catholic University that has been established in Congo, the other Catholic university in Ethiopia, the health care system that is 70 percent Catholic (and that is now confronting the Ebola outbreak) tell the story of an Africa saved by Catholic ideals. And the Africans are very faithful to these ideals.

African Bishops put the challenges of the future on the table. The challenges do not deal with the pastoral for divorced remarried, or homosexual couples. For the first case, there is a pastoral praxis, put into practice and managed by confessors; for the second case, there is a 1986 instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which already addresses the issue.

The challenges of the future are those that arise from colonization by secularist ideas. The real assaults on the family – African bishops spoke about this – are those driven by states and international organizations. The latter are committedto the development of poor countries, but at the same time they link the delivery of aid to the introduction of laws based on gender ideology, undermining the family.

This is how gender ideology is developed: through processes of soft law that can only be opposed with a lot of skill and knowledge.

Skill and knowledge are needed to defend against assaults on religious freedom. Religious communities have the right to their freedom, something that Eastern European countries know well. Not by chance, countries from Eastern Europe were the only ones that sided with Italy when the latter appealed against the European Court verdict that forbid having crucifixes in Italian classrooms.

African and Eastern European bishops have been the most active in defending the doctrine of the Church. Cardinal Wilfried Napier, very angry for the way the midterm report had come about, understood that its content had been picked-up by media, and that any modification or change of approach would have been described as a step back. In his own words, it was an «irredeemable» situation. He also pointed out that «the synod is not convening to speak about abortion, contraception, same sex marriages. It was convened to talk about family.»

And Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum and moderator of one of the small groups that has criticized the relatio, reiterated to Catholic News Agency the teachings of the Church about homosexuality and denounced pressure groups behind push to change the Church’s teaching.

Many synod fathers feared that a powerful lobby found its way into the synod and outside the synod, to undermine the teachings of the Church. The publication of the relatio opened the flood gates to the so-called resistance, culminating in the vociferous publication of the reports of the small groups.

After the first week of assembly, the synod fathers broke out in ten groups to analyze the text of the relatio and make their proposals and observations. Generally, all the proposals that gain a supermajority of two third are admitted, and the Pope later synthetize them in a post-synodal exhortation. This synod introduced a new methodology, according to which the synod’s secretariat, together with the general rapporteur, were tasked with writing a final report, which would become a sort of blueprint for the next synod. And even the proposals that did not gain a supermajority had been published – having being made public by the Pope the result of each vote.

The publication of the reports has shown that the majority of synod fathers were on the other side to the midterm relatio. The synod of the media, so well orchestrated and ready to hail with a hooray any doctrinal change in the Church, had been finally surpassed by the real synod.

It is yet to be known who had ultimately drafted the midterm report, which was so controversial and made even more controversial by mistakes in translations. Those that were suspected to have the role of steering the synod in a particular direction came to the fore when the decision was made not to publish the interventions of the synod’s fathers. Then, the number of suspects increased when Pope Francis appointed six prelates to assist Cardinal Erdo in drafting the relatio synodi, the synod’s final report – surprisingly, among the six, there was no one from Africa – the Pope later had to rectify  the mistake by including the commission Cardinal Napier and archbishop of Melbourne Hart. Suspicions still aroused when it was rumored that Cardinal Erdo was only able to introduce very minor changes to the relatio he had received back Sunday evening, Oct. 12. The Pope – it is rumored – had requested the Cardinal to give him the text Saturday, Oct. 11. It is yet to be known who had worked on the text while it reportedly was in Pope’s hands, making it shorter than Cardinal Erdo’s, deleting any mention of sexual disorder, sexual education, and the Gospel.

Given that Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Special Secretary of the Synod, has been indicated by the same Cardinal Erdo as  the drafter of the report, one of the bishops has said he recognized «the hand of Cardinal Ravasi» – President of the Pontifical Council for Culture and president of the message. Many of the bishops have seen Victor Fernandez’s hand in it (apparent in some inaccuracies of the Italian original). But the «guiding group» includes almost all the cardinals of the Council of Cardinals. Cardinal Marx was one of the most tenacious proponents of a change in doctrine. Not by chance, he was called to brief journalists in one of the very last press conferences of the synod.

In fact, this appeasement in the face of the prevailing culture contrasts with Paul VI, whose beatification was scheduled to crown this synod of bishops. A modern Pope, with a missionary vision, who had been able to keep the Church on course at a very difficult time full of controversy. A Pope who had kept his faith, and that had the faithful do the same, issuing the encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” the very last of his pontificate. It was 1968, and his pontificate extended for another 10 years. However, after Humanae Vitae, Paul VI did not write any other encyclical. «He did not want his magisterial acts to be instrumentalized, he wanted to lead the Church with balance in that difficult time,» recounted Cardinal Paul Poupard, who had been among Paul VI’s collaborators. And then he added: «The first telegram that arrived in the Secretariat of State after the promulgation of Humanae Vitae was that of Dom Helder Camara. He thanked the Pope because, with that encyclical, he was protecting children and helping the Third World countries.»

Yes, the very same HelderCamara who lived in the favelas, cited as a champion by all the Liberation Theologians and Third World advocates asking for a greater opening-up of the Church. Today, Helder Camara’s heart seems to have been lost, while merely the cold sociological analysis has remained.

The Papal message for the World Day of Peace is particularly important. It is delivered to foreign ministries of all over the world, and from it Benedict XVI draws for the traditional speech he delivers at the beginning of every year to the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. This year’s message perfectly tracks the themes of the recent Synod for the New Evangelization. In the message, the Pope maintains that a renewal of the proclamation of Christ is the first and fundamental factor of peace; and affirms that a new commitment and a new ethic can come about, above all, from the encounter of people with God. And because of that encounter, the hierarchy of criteria that govern the world today can be turned upside down. Because of that encounter, there power and profit no longer prevail over everything else, and aims and means are corrected. Only in Christ can peacemakers face the challenges which awaits them.

Themes of the Message for the World Day of Peace.

All the themes the Message for the World Day of Peace deal with are based on two main premises: that «Peace is not a dream or something utopian; it is possible»; and that peace can happen only in the relationship with God, in comprehending why there is a fraternity among men, committing us to the pursuit of the common good. There is no peace if relativism rules. There can only be peace with communion. Communion leads to overcoming inequalities, and guides the agenda for integral human development. «Peace – it is written in the message -is principally the attainment of the common good in society at its different levels, primary and intermediary, national, international and global. Precisely for this reason it can be said that the paths which lead to the attainment of the common good are also the paths that must be followed in the pursuit of peace. »

World Hunger

Much has been said about the financial crisis, and very little about the food crisis. Yet, data released by the FAO recently is revealing: there are 870 million people suffering from hunger in the world, especially in Africa and in the Middle East. So, «the issue of food security – the Pope maintains – is once more central to the international political agenda, as a result of interrelated crises, including sudden shifts in the price of basic foodstuffs, irresponsible behaviour by some economic actors and insufficient controls on the part of governments and the international community.»

The Pope’s appeal is supported by data. This data is not in the message, but is – one could say – the architecture on which the Papal appeal is based. This data shows that several basic foodstuff prices are dangerously close to 2008 levels, when turmoil over bread prices exploded in about 30 countries. Yet if prices oscillate so often that it is really difficult to plan for investments in agriculture – UNCTAD, a United Nations agency, advises – it is because of finance. In fact, the exchange of finance derivatives of basic foodstuff is 20-30 times bigger than investment in the real market. Investments in agricultural lands in developing countries – OXFAM data shows – increased by 200 per cent in 2008. Sixty percent of land purchases took place in countries where there is hunger. These hectares, which could feed a billion people, were used to cultivate and produce biofuels.

How can we confront the food crisis? «Work together in a spirit of solidarity, from the local to the international level, with the aim of enabling farmers, especially in small rural holdings, to carry out their activity in a dignified and sustainable way from the social, environmental and economic points of view.»

Economic/financial crisis

It is a subsidiarity principle, which should be applied in facing the economic crisis. «The ideologies of radical liberalism and technocracy  – the message states – reflect the conviction that economic growth should be pursued even to the detriment of the state’s social responsibilities and civil society’s networks of solidarity, social rights and duties.» Among social rights and duties «most under threat today» is the right to work. Several times during his pontificate the Pope spoke about the right to work, even expressing his solidarity toward those who did not have an employment to sustain themselves. Without work there is no opportunity to build the future, nor a family. But the Papal denunciation perhaps looks further, to China – where social rights seem to be a utopia – and to a Europe in an economic and identity crisis, where social rights are diminished with the excuse of the lack of resources. «The reason for this – the Pope writes – is that labour and the rightful recognition of workers’ juridical status are increasingly undervalued, since economic development is thought to depend principally on completely free markets.» The goal of access to steady employment for everyone must be achieved, as stated in Benedict XVI’s social encyclical Caritas in Veritate. In the mean time, there is a need of «a fresh outlook on work, based on ethical principles and spiritual values that reinforce the notion of work as a fundamental good for the individual, for the family and for society. Corresponding to this good are a duty and a right that demand courageous new policies of universal employment».

A new social evangelization

In the end, the message is about a new social evangelization. The premise is that «true peacemakers are those who love, defend and promote human life in all its dimensions: personal, communitarian and transcendent.» To support the liberalization of abortion means to insufficiently value human life, and those who support it «do not realize that in this way they are proposing the pursuit of a false peace. The flight from responsibility, which degrades human persons, and even more so the killing of a defenceless and innocent being, will never be able to produce happiness or peace.» Ultimately, peace, integral human development, and even the safeguarding of nature, cannot be achieved «without defending the life of those who are the weakest, beginning with the unborn.» Because «every offence against life, especially at its beginning, inevitably causes irreparable damage to development, peace and the environment.»

Protection of human life

The Pope aims even higher. He says that «neither is it just to introduce surreptitiously into legislation false rights or freedoms which, on the basis of a reductive and relativistic view of human beings and the clever use of ambiguous expressions aimed at promoting a supposed right to abortion and euthanasia, pose a threat to the fundamental right to life». The Pope is also referring to the UN resolution «Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights», adopted on September 21, 2012 by the UN Council for Human Rights, which would surreptitiously open the door to a «right to abortion».

It is a whole UN vocabulary that should be changed, as noted by Silvano Maria Tomasi, the Holy See permanent observer at the UN Council for Human Rights in Geneva. This change of vocabulary – a vocabulary which roughly dates back to the sexual revolution – lead to the disappearance of the word «abortion» in international documents, substituted by the more neutral right to reproductive health; but it also lead to the disappearance of the word «family» from the United Nations vocabulary. The semantic borders are so ambiguous that there is a risk to mistake religious freedom with freedom of worship or expression.

Promote religious freedom

So – the Pope writes – «at this stage in history, it is becoming increasingly important to promote this right not only from the negative point of view, as freedom from – for example, obligations or limitations involving the freedom to choose one’s religion – but also from the positive point of view, in its various expressions, as freedom for – for example, bearing witness to one’s religion, making its teachings known, engaging in activities in the educational, benevolent and charitable fields which permit the practice of religious precepts, and existing and acting as social bodies structured in accordance with the proper doctrinal principles and institutional ends of each.»

A pedagogy for peacemakers

How to teach a culture of peace? The basic cell is the family, which has «a natural vocation to promote life» because «it accompanies individuals as they mature and it encourages mutual growth and enrichment through caring and sharing». Then, the Pope asks «cultural institutions, schools and universities for a notable contribution not only to the formation of new generations of leaders, but also to the renewal of public institutions, both national and international. They can also contribute to a scientific reflection which will ground economic and financial activities on a solid anthropological and ethical basis. Today’s world, especially the world of politics, needs to be sustained by fresh thinking and a new cultural synthesis so as to overcome purely technical approaches and to harmonize the various political currents with a view to the common good.»

There is the need of a «pedagogy for peacemakers», comprised also of a rich interior life, clear and valid moral points of reference, and appropriate attitudes and lifestyles. In fact, «acts of peacemaking converge for the achievement of the common good; they create interest in peace and cultivate peace. Thoughts, words and gestures of peace create a mentality and a culture of peace, and a respectful, honest and cordial atmosphere». It  is «a slow process», for «there is a need to renounce that false peace promised by the idols of this world along with the dangers which accompany it, that false peace which dulls consciences, which leads to self-absorption, to a withered existence lived in indifference». A pedagogy of peace, instead, «implies activity, compassion, solidarity, courage and perseverance». Ultimately, it is about the realization of the Beatitudes. And the Beatitudes – Benedict XVI reminds us in the very beginning of the message – are promises, not merely moral exhortations.

John Finnis had the courage to go beyond this instructions book. A legal positivist in the past, he then changed his point of view – he also converted to Catholicism -, and looked beyond the written «one way» history often taught in schools. He decided to identify, as the founder of modern thought, a theologian — a Dominican friar whose philosophic vision cannot stand without his faith.

How many «John Finnis» are in the world? A lot, indeed. There are those who studythe history of human rights and reveal they did not rise with Enlightenment and legal positivism, but much earlier, with the Salamanca Dominican School and the report of the Indias by Bartolomé de Las Casas. There are those who study the history of the law, and show that, yes, the Inquisition degenerated horribly, but the reason why it came into being was to reform judicial procedures, and to institute a person-centered trial. Before, accused persons had to defend themselves from any given accusation.  In the Inquisition’s trials, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

There is a whole visible – and yet hidden – world delineating the contours of a culture directly rooted in Catholicism.A world that Catholic-inspired institutions should call our attention to. Recently, much has been written and said about Benedict XVI’s Twitter account. A really big deal? Not at all. In fact – as father Antonio Spadaro, director of the Jesuit bi-monthly Civiltà Cattolica, rightly put it – Benedict XVI’s twitter account is a direct consequence of the radio messages inaugurated by Pope Pius XI.  Radio messages that, with Pius XII during the Second World War, acquired the very force of a social encyclical.

The issue is not about having a Twitter account or not, or about reaching out to bloggers – as the Vatican did in a Meeting for Bloggers held the day after John Paul II’s beatification. The issue is not even the need to have a portal like news.va, a news aggregator which also works as a Vatican official channel for news. All of this is important, but it is just cosmetic. And the way it is managed can serve to increase visibility, but fails in delivering content, which is most important. It seems it was a long time ago that Pope Pius XI, conscious of the importance of the Church’s message, hired Guglielmo Marconi to build and start the Vatican Radio.

But many – inside the Holy See – are not fully aware of the value of the message that they have a role in transmitting.  They are not conscious of the importance to tell and communicate that message. This is ultimately the reason why there is little coverage of the lively Catholicism of parishes, and why Catholic culture and transmitting the Church’s history are not supported. Much should be rewritten in history books, to show the role of Catholicism in the world. But the Catholic intelligentsia seems not to be conscious of it. It is so unconscious about it that – for example – the administration of seminaries is transferred to the Congregation for the Clergy and taken away from the Congregation for Catholic Education– despite the fact that the latter provided a comprehensive education, not just one for sacristies.

Catholic thought is now spread thanks to some small initiatives. Far from being just “local”, these initiatives can be considered small flowers that blossom in the desert.They need to be fully appreciated. In Italy, there are at least two noteworthy examples.

The Circolo San Tommaso d’Aquino is a cultural association of young people and for young people, founded in Aquino – the birth place of Thomas Aquinas – in 2009. It publishes I Quaderni Aquinati, book series, which most recent additionis Thomas Aquinas’ Integral Humanism, by the philosopher Massimo Cacciari, the theologian Inos Biffi, and Card. Gianfranco Ravasi, president of Pontifical Council for Culture.  The mission of the Circolo San Tommaso d’Aquino is to spread Thomas Aquinas’ thoughts and works. This is why every year it promotes an International competition – called Veritas et Amor – awarding two 3,000 euro scholarships to scholars up to 35 years old: the first scholarship is for a paper or thesis that updates the relevance of Thomas Aquinas thought – not only regarding theological issues, but also diplomatic, political and social issues; the second scholarship is awarded to an art work inspired by Thomas Aquinas’ writings. All of the Circolo San Tommaso initiatives have been inspired by what Paul VI said when he visited Aquino in 1974 to celebrate the 700 anniversary of Aquinas’ death. On that occasion, Paul VI spoke off the cuff. The Circolo found the recording of that speech and published it in a Dvd. «Where, if not in Aquino – Paul VI said – can anyone study theology?»

The Cardinal Michele Giordano Prize (in memory of cardinal Michele Giordano) has been sponsored by L’Orientale Editrice publishing house. Established in memory of the mourned archbishop of Naples (he died in 2010), the prize recognizes a book of religious interest published in 2012 (a commission will choose three finalists, and the winner will be elected via a facebook vote), thus stimulating and rewarding Catholic publishing. The prize was inspired by Cardinal Giordano’s keen appreciation for the media. As archbishop of Naples, he came up with the “Premio Buone Notizie” (good news prize), which he awarded to prominent journalists.

The development and promotion of Catholic culture is linked to initiatives like the ones promoted by Circolo San Tommaso e L’Orientale Editrice. The Catholic world lacks organizations with open-minded criteria, institutionally supported, that can invest on these initiatives and help to promote Catholic thought. Institutional coordination is also lacking. This coordination could be managed by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, so that every initiative, even small ones, be assessed and appreciatedat the international level. And so, there is still a visible, yet hidden, Church. Individual initiatives are the engine that supports the history, thought and life of the Church. Yes, this is subsidiarity – i.e., if a single, a small community can do something, the central institution must not interfere – a cardinal principle of the Social Teaching of the Church. However, subsidiarity also needs support from the top-levels. And this support cannot always be just a sponsorship

Vatican City State Law. Its History

Paolo Gabriele’s trial shows the attention to the human person of the Vatican legal order, which is far from «obscurantist», as some in the media have described it. In 1929, the Lateran Pacts are signed. It is the so-called “Conciliation” between the Italian State – that conquered Rome in 1871, ending the Papal administration of the city – and the Holy See. Pope Pius XI himself negotiated the economic aspects of the treaty with Benito Mussolini, then the dictatorial head of the Italian government. From 1871 until then, the Vatican had survived just with the leftover patrimony not taken away from it following the «Porta Pia» invasion, ecclesiastical taxes (a meager source of revenue), and with the deposits and contributions to Peter’s Pence – a distinctive sign of Catholics’ will to aid the Pope.

And it is Pius XI who «supervises» the building of Vatican City State. He walks up to the base of Saint Peter’s Dome to look down over the territory of his City-State. Then, he decides what and where to build up (one third of the Conciliation’s compensation would be used to build Vatican City State); and he delivers funds to restore Papal nunciatures – up to that moment crumbling – thus marking the return of Vatican diplomacy. A Vatican diplomacy that never stopped working. However, before Vatican City-State –in Pius XI’s words «that small piece of land that is needed to carry out our mission»– a diplomacy that was at the mercy of, and heavily influenced by, the countries it worked in. Finally, Pius XI asks Bernardino Nogara – who had previously worked in Banca Commerciale – to manage the funds of the Financial Convention of the Lateran Pacts. This is when Vatican finances begin to take shape.

At the same time, the legal order of the newly born State also takes shape. As it would have been too complicated to draft a brand new legal code, the Vatican City State adopted the legal code then in force in the Italian State. That code is the Zanardelli Code. Vatican City State kept the Zanardelli code even after a new code was promulgated in Italy in 1931, the Rocco code (Alfredo Rocco was the minister for Grace and Justice). The Vatican did not adopt the Rocco code not just because it had been written and promulgated under fascism — i.e. under an authoritarian  regime – but also because the Rocco Code was inspired in legal positivism. The juridical debate between the supporters of the liberal (but not libertarian) ideals underlying the Zanardelli Code and the “positivist” – modern but leading to authoritarianism – essence of the Rocco code still go on today.

What Is Vatican Diplomacy And Why Is It So Important?

It is evident in which side the Pope is.  One can see it in the noticeable new way Vatican diplomacy has been ran during this Pontificate. Benedict XVI has drawn attention several times to natural law, and he has focused every diplomatic speech on the truth and the human person, thus clearly steering the Holy See’s international agenda in new directions.

What is Vatican diplomacy? Cardinal Bertone, Secretary of State, explained it when he received the International Prize «Conde de Barcelona», on September 25. Bertone stated that Vatican diplomacy is not a relic of the past, and that often people fantasize about it rather than really knowing what it is.  «It is – Card. Bertone said – a never-ending pursuit of just and humane ways to consider individuals’ and States’ rights and responsibilities.» In essence – Bertone notes – Vatican diplomacy is «a privileged means of communication» which final goal is the common good.

One of the «primary goals» is – Bertone stated – to be «a herald of the Pope’s message» internationally, to underscore the solidarity of the Pope with people from all over the world. Bertone recalled a famous quote of father Vandrisse, who worked for the French magazine Le Figaro: «The Pope’s diplomacy is a necessity. If it did not exist, one would have to invent it. An ancient and well established praxis, a tool to defend the dignity of the human person and libertas ecclesiae (the freedom of the Church), an occasion to talk about values: this is Vatican diplomacy.»

At the very same time that Bertone was receiving the prize in Barcelona, Dominique Mamberti, Secretary of Relations with States of the Vatican State Secretariat (i.e. a sort of Minister of Foreign Affairs) was delivering a speech at the High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Respect for human dignity was the center of Mamberti’s speech. It is the litmus test that shows whether the rule of law has instead become the rule of rules. Respect for Human Dignity is reaffirmed in the Preamble of the United Nations Charter, where it is written that human rights must be protected by the rule of law. From this point of view, «the application of the rule of law – Mamberti states – embraces every aspect of social life.» But moreover, it is necessary to «go beyond setting up simple procedures in order to guarantee a democratic source for norms and to have the consensus of the international community in the background.» Because «the inalienable dignity and value of each human person» comes before any law or social consensus. And it is not sufficient to «formally abide» by treaties or other forms of international law. «Only – Mamberti affirms – going beyond these considerations, would national and international institution avoid manipulations and coercion from finding their way into the life of individual citizens.»

When the rule of law becomes merely a formal and uncritical adherence to laws and regulations, this can paradoxically degenerate into a means of «oppression of the human dignity and of the rights of persons, communities and States.» The result — also raised by Benedict XVI in his speech to the Bundestag last year – is the specter of ending up with authoritarian regimes. Integral humanism is the antidote.

This is why – Mamberti states – «when talking of the rule of law,» law should be understood as «justice». How to discern it? Starting from human rights – rights that must be ever more universal – and looking at the progression of the philosophy of human rights, a story which dates back to Greek thought and Roman law, is enriched by Jewish-Christian wisdom, the legal orders of other European peoples and by canon law (the only truly international legislation in the world). Principles that have been further elaborated in Christian, Arab, and Jewish renewals, up until the Enlightenment. It is  a complex stratification which leads to the United Nations Charter.

UN Charter Rooted In The Heart Of Man

The Charter is rooted in the heart of man. In its preamble, the founders of the United Nations reaffirmed «faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.» The choice of the word «faith» is revealing. Faith makes reference to  deeply held beliefs. So, the United Nations is based on this faith in man’s rights that all peoples can relate to, no matter what their religious beliefs may be.

«Faith in transcendental human dignity – Mamberti says – or, better, the recognition of its transcendence, becomes the fundamental and indispensible reference point in understanding the rights codified in the foundational documents of the United Nations, and the key to their effective protection and promotion.»

Mamberti notes that lobbying is against the common good. In fact, lobbies influence States over norms that «under an appearance of legitimacy, are as a matter of fact an abuse on norms and international recommendations.» This happened – for example – with the financial crisis. Mamberti underlines that it is possible to have democratic systems produce new laws according to the will of just a few. And it also can happen that – if the human person is considered from a merely materialistic point of view and law is just something to be mechanically respected – the will of the most powerful prevails over the weakest: children, the unborn, the handicapped, the poor or – as it happened with the financial crisis – people deprived of correct information at the right time. «Juridical disorder on one hand – Mamberti says – and anthropological reduction on the other, undermine the ultimate and essential goal of every legal order: to promote and guarantee human dignity.»

That is why there is a need for a transcendental outlook. Because «human rights are linked to human dignity» and «are integrated in the rule of law, as the right to have a father and a mother, the right to make and maintain a family, the right to grow up and be educated within a natural family, the right of parents to educate their own children, the right to work and to a just wage for the wealth produced, the right to culture, freedom of thought and freedom of conscience.» The right of rights is religious freedom, a core theme of Benedict XVI’s Pontificate. Religious freedom – Mamberti says – is «an essential part of every person, which to a degree is identified with his or her very own freedom.» Mamberti calls for a «legal order firmly rooted in humanity’s dignity and nature.»

A Case History: Rimsha’s Case.

These are the very reasons why the Vatican penal code is Zanardelli’s and not Rocco’s. This is a juridical struggle the Holy See fights at every level. The most recent and widely discussed case has been that of Rimsha, the 12 year-old Pakistani girl accused of blasphemy for allegedly setting on fire  – together with other pieces of paper –pages of Quran. Rimsha suffers from Down syndrome.

Rimsha Masih was imprisoned for several weeks. Then, on September the 7^th, she was released on bail, and the authorities moved her and her family to a secret location, in order to protect her from possible fanatic Islamists’ revenge. Her story is so bizarre that many prominent Muslims did not hesitate to state that the charge was absurd, even more so because Rimsha is underage and she cannot read. The trial will take place on October first.

In the end, it was discovered that the same maulvi (responsible for the administration of the Mosque) accusing Rimsha had torn out a page of the Quran and put it over the ashes. The muezzin (who makes the calls to prayer) and other witnesses confirmed this version of events. It was noted that Khalid Jadoon Chishti (that is the maulvi’s name) wanted to expel Christians from the city block where he led the Muslims’ prayer.

This story has stirred a lot of debate in Pakistan. Even Muslim newspapers and magazines accuse Chishti of blasphemy. In Pakistan, people have become aware that the law on blasphemy is too often used for false accusations or even personal vendettas. Hundreds of Muslims – more than Christians – are imprisoned because of this law.

Where Shabahz Bhatti did not succeed, Rimsha’s story did. Bhatti was the Catholic Minister for Religious Minorities killed on March 2, 2011 by a commando of Islamic fundamentalists because he was trying to modify the law on blasphemy. Benedict XVI made of him a symbol in his last speech to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. One year after Bhatti’s death, Rimsha’s case has helped to open the eyes of the whole country.

Is a law Against Blasphemy Useful?

Just one week after Pope Benedict XVI ended his successful visit to Lebanon, the country’s most senior Catholic leader called for a United Nations resolution «that will ban denigrating religions.»

Meanwhile, in Pakistan – Religion News Service reports – the country’s only Catholic cabinet member, Minister of Harmony Paul Bhatti, told an interfaith gathering in Lahore that he will press U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to pass a UN resolution that condemns «defamation and offenses against religions.» Bhatti said «we must not allow anyone to break our harmony» between Christians and Muslims.

Since 1999, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – an umbrella group of 57 Arab and Muslim nations – has promoted a non-binding U.N. resolution against «defamation of religion,» although support for the measure has steadily eroded in recent years. Even Obama, addressing the UN General Assembly on September 25, made it clear that the U.S. Constitution could never sanction anti-blasphemy laws, and challenged Muslims who are offended by insults to Muhammad to take a broader view. The Vatican, too, has generally opposed efforts to introduce international legislation against defamation of religion, though for different reasons.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in 2010, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the U.N., Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, warned that «introducing a vague concept of ‘defamation’” was not an effective way of “combating offensive attitudes towards religion,» and might actually lead to «further oppression of religious minorities.»

As in the Rimsha’s case, it shows how the law on blasphemy is often used as an instrument for personal revenge or abuses of power or – as in this case – to «free» villages from religious minorities. «Freeing villages of Christians – Tomasi maintains – has an economic, more than religious, goal.» Fides Press Agency explains how «behind Rimsha’s case there is the ‘real estate mafia’: some speculators wanted to expel Christians from the Mehrabadi quarter for financial reasons, since the value of houses in that part of Islamabad had risen. That is why they concocted the blasphemy claim. Most of the families in that neighborhood are faithful [Christians] who escaped from Gojra, a town set on fire by Islamic radicals in 2009, for an alleged case of blasphemy.»

This is one of the most recent examples of how Vatican diplomacy operates. Instead of legal positivism (a law to prevent an action), it is based on natural law and on the heart of man. This is a key principle that addresses criminal procedures within the walls of Vatican City State, and for the Holy See positions in negotiating UN resolutions. The human person is the focus, and the common good is the goal of its international agenda. So, looking closely to the law applied for the butler’s trial, one can understand a lot about the underlining principles of the Church.

Does complying with the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church suffice to have a better future? Students at the Studium Aquinatis – a workshop on the Social Doctrine of the Church held in the Marian Sanctuary of Canneto, Southern Italy, July 21 to 23 – tried to give an answer to this question. A quick review of the discussions from the workshop allows us to understand two things: how much society is imbued by Christian values, even if nowadays nobody wants to define these values as “Christian”; and, secondly, that young people need to live out these values, and are searching for new reference points.

A new generation of Catholic politician. A glance at Europe

In Italy, this reference point has been for a long time the Democrazia Cristiana, i.e. Christian Democracy, a political party which for years represented the Catholic electorate. While not all Catholics supported Christian Democracy –which inherited the legacy of the Partito Popolare, the Italian People’s party founded by the Italian priest don Luigi Sturzo– the party offered a solid Catholic point of reference. It attracted the best people formed in Catholic associations. That of Christian Democracy was a 40 year-old story which came to a halt with the Tangentopoli scandal –the trial on the kickbacks that fed the Italian political system– and was never resumed fully. Nowadays, Catholics are said to be increasingly irrelevant in the Italian political landscape.

Benedict XVI has spoken –several times– of the need to give rise to a new generation of Catholic politicians capable of putting into practice the Social Doctrine of the Church. The Pope was not only appealing to Italians, but to peoples in all countries.  There is a living Catholic family in the world whose struggles are far from parochial.  The future of humanity itself is at stake in these struggles.

Just take a look at some European examples. In Finland, Timo Soini, a Catholic, has presided over a spectacular growth of his party.  His political program was mostly focused on the economy.  Soini did not defend the banks and the European Monetary System. He defended States and their sovereignty, even by accentuating Finnish Pride.  His approach stood in contrast to that of the euro-bureaucracy and the Europe of technocrats.  In fact, there are major differences between the European ideal early model and that of today.

In Hungary, the Fidesz political party won the elections with such an ample majority that it was able to push through constitutional reforms confidently.  The new Hungarian constitution considers Christian values the roots of the Hungarian state, forbids abortion and euthanasia, and limits the arbitrary power of judges.

Yet, both Timo Soini and Fidesz Leader Viktor Orban have been characterized as excessively nationalistic and conservative. In Hungary in particular, the new balance of influence has occurred within the Church itself.  The Hungarian Bishops’ Conference changed the name of its «Justice and Peace» commission to Commission Caritas in Veritate, a change later emulated by the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences.

Life in Christ. The principal factor of development

Caritas in veritate, however, is not the only encyclical which deals with justice and peace. It is one of the social encyclicals that -from Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum on– has enriched in succession the history of the Catholic Church. The Social Doctrine is in some way a sort of summary of all the social encyclicals, each strongly influenced by the signs of their times. Caritas in Veritate itself, drafted in 2008, was strongly influenced by the global financial crisis that erupted that same year. The multiple revisions of the encyclical draft, with contributions also from people not involved in the Social Doctrine of the Church, underscored magnitude of the challenge.

Because many people contributed to it, Caritas in Veritate has been interpreted in several different ways. Its theological foundation, however, should not be underestimated. Drawing from Paul VI’s social teaching, paragraph 8 of Caritas in Veritate quotes the late Pope’s declaring how «life in Christ is the first and principal factor of development». This affirmation is revolutionary. It signifies a new hierarchy of predominant values. Go back to the Gospel and reinitiate your path from there, Benedict XVI has often said. Proclaiming Christ cannot be set aside, Joseph Ratzinger, then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, reminded the theologians of Liberation Theology who placed the poor, rather than Christ, at the heart of their doctrine. The Gospel cannot be set aside, Benedict XVI told the Church of Germany, underscoring the need for the Church to be less worldly, because a wealthy Church risks losing sight of the Good News announced in the Gospels.

To give rise to a new generation of Catholic politicians, the starting point must be the Gospel. «The rejection of the common or social good can lead to all kinds of sins». This admonition from Saint Thomas Aquinas dates back to the XIII century, yet it is extraordinarily pertinent to the present times. There has been a long debate on the role of Catholics in political organizations, and periodically there are parties that claim to be inspired by Christian values. Thomas Aquinas inverts paradigms, underscoring that it is not sin that brings about rejection of the common good; it is the rejection of the common good that leads to all kinds of sins.

What are the distinctive features of a politically and socially committed Catholic? How can this man/woman put into action this distinctiveness? These questions still beg answers. Occasionally, someone will propose a formula. Other times, the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church will be presented in purely «secular» terms, as if the exponent would be afraid to affirm his own identity. As if it all amounts to just words, ultimately.

Look no further than to Thomas Aquinas

We need to look no further than to Thomas Aquinas and his «integral humanism» –as philosopher Jaques Maritain defined it– and more deeply into the heart of Catholicism to realize that being a Christian in society is simple and at the same time difficult, just as following Jesus is simple at the same time difficult. The starting point is the heart of the human person, an awareness of having been created in His own image.  This new persona then sets into action in history, relating to others in a spirit of fellowship. Are these «secular» terms? No, they are not. They are simply Christian terms. To embrace these dynamics is quite different from merely becoming a professional politician. It essentially means living the Gospel truly.

When Benedict XVI talked about a new generation of Catholic politicians, he is calling for a new generation of people committed in civil society and conscious of the challenge of the Gospel. This appeal risks but must not be misunderstood.  Often, the emphasis is on appearances and not enough on life itself.  For example, in Italy, groups on the Social Doctrine of the Church are established, and local and international special events around the Social Doctrine are organized, feeding an endless search for the right formulations that increasingly lose sight of teaching the Gospel.

A new commitment of Catholics in the public sphere

These were the key issues that Msgr. Mario Toso, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, addressed to the students of the Studium Aquinatis who listened attentively to prominent speakers during the three-day workshop. Toso focused on the Gospel and the importance to start again from the Gospel. Then, he underlined the need for a new commitment. It can be a political party, but not necessarily. It can take the shape of a new project.   How this «venture» will take form is not crucial.  What is most important is to begin in the heart of the human person, which is ultimately at the core of the Social Doctrine of the Church and the heart of the Gospel. Starting again from the Gospel, and learning to apply it to everyday life, and thus to society.  Only thus the common good will not be discarded.

A new venture can only take off from two places: families and parishes. One must start from our immediate surroundings and work our way to the international arena, to live the Gospel also there.  That is how we make a U-turn in the misguided political path of the present and inaugurate a different kind of politics.

This new political season can begin from the grassroots. Father Francesco Occhetta, SJ, a regular contributor and editorial staff member of Civiltà Cattolica –the oldest magazine in Italy, whose drafts are reviewed, before printing, at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.– shared three fascinating insights with the young participants of the workshop.  First of all, he talked about a personal experience: when he was in Chile doing apostolic work, he was asked to celebrate a funeral for a woman who died in an isolated village in the desert. He thought no one would attend the funeral. But when he got to the church, a crowd was there. That woman had committed her life to resolve conflicts in his parish and in her village, from a place and position that was essentially a center of power.  The people acknowledged her commitment, celebrating her funeral as if it were that for a Head of State. «What kind of justice model do we want for ourselves?» Father Occhetta asked the students, challenging them to fundamentally change the prevalent political mindsets of today.  He did not seek practical answers, but rather to stir a fruitful reflection.

Justice and reconciliation are two pillars of the Social Doctrine of the Church. «From South Sudan to the Middle East, from Latin America to Congo, from Colombia to the Philippines, the Catholic Church is a powerful force of peace, freedom, justice and reconciliation. But this impressive and courageous commitment to peace-building of Catholic communities is often not acknowledged, it is hardly studied, and it is not valued», Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, wrote on the Osservatore Romano.

There have been many justice and reconciliation commissions that have built peace in countries, especially in Africa. The students of Studium Aquinatis considered this model for Italy, but concluded that each country must set its own path, based on its particular experience and identity. For Italy, they proposed other venues of reconciliations. For example, the project Cesare deve morire  (Caesar must die) of the Rebibbia prison in Rome – where prisoners are encouraged to be part of theatrical plays that in some ways re-enact the crimes they committed.  More broadly, the students noted that reconciliation is fully meaningful from the certainty of the punishment applied, and also that the rights of the inmates should be fully restored after sentences are fulfilled.

Father Occhetta highlighted the importance of the education dimension. Nowadays, everybody uses overtly technical and specialist vocabularies, hindering our collective capacity to define the horizontal landscape of reality. Even politics – father Occhetta said – has become technocratic, losing sight of achieving development in the medium term. Politics have also fallen to the power of the mass media, which now controls consensus building in society.

Solutions and practices

Fortunately, in the midst of these problems –which were identified in Caritas in Veritate– there are also solutions and best practices about how to live the Social Doctrine of the Church. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace shed light on some of these best practices last May, during a conference to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the promulgation of John XXIII’s encyclical Mater et Magistra.

Centers for the Study of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church rise up in very difficult conditions –just think of the Institut des Artisans de Justice et de la Paix in Benin and the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection in Zambia. While in Mexico anticlericalism is going through a sort of revival, the  Imdosoc (Istituto Mexicano de Doctrina Social Cristiana) continues to facilitate networks, train social entrepeneurs, and teach the Social Doctrine.  In Brazil, a popular initiative supported by the Episcopal Conference brought about the approval of the Ficha Limpa national law, which sets standards for the eligibility of candidates who run for public office.

Is this enough? The «diplomatic path» of Catholic Church has its sight on the long term, favoring a reform of the United Nations. «Justice – Msgr. Toso says – must be founded on the acknowledgement of the universal human good. Social conscience must be applied and advanced within the market economy. A world governance based on cooperation among nation is needed. It must be a true ‘world authority’, able to take objective decisions. A new economic, political and financial architecture is required». Above all, the primacy of politics over the economy must be restablished. What is now missing is a “Catholic laity” capable of assuming and advancing Christian values. There must be politicians Christianly trained, who can grasp the positive challenge to embrace the Social Doctrine of the Church. Confronted with world imbalances, this Christian laity must be capable of specifically contributing to greater equality». The time has come for the Social Doctrine of the Church to take action.

Unchain the Social Doctrine

There is also a need to unchain the Social Doctrine, as the last «Van Thuan Observatory» Report on the Social Doctrine of the Church states. What are the shackles of the Social Doctrine of the Church? There are external shackles – the report says – i.e. «the aggressive lay culture that violently mobilized to secularize society not only from religion, but also from ethics and finally from the sense of the common good.  At the international level, these forces are planning a brutal and sustained attack on life and family, by using huge sums of money to have all countries adopt laws that favor abortion and destroy the family.  These forces are the cultural agencies that impose unilateral views on individual freedom, relations among sexes, and procreation.  They are the strong economic interests, and the absence of a Christian and ethical perspective regarding business administration and finance resulting in poverty and sufferance». And then, there are the internal shackles, i.e. «the disregard for the Pope’s teachings, which are often considered, sadly, as just one among many different perspectives» and even «not applying to the Social Doctrine of the Church the hermeneutic criteria that Benedict XVI suggested with respect to the Second Vatican Council, and instead continue to speak of two Social Doctrines, one pre-Council and one post-Council. By doing so, the faithful are deprived from having a Social Doctrine of the Church in its integrity and fully inserted in tradition».

The way in which the Social Doctrine is followed, ignored, or contrasted in different parts of the world is addressed in the second section of the report. Among the issues discussed are the work of U.N. agencies, and the change of vocabulary that is masquerading the emergence of worrisome changes in the world.  Silvano Maria Tomasi, the Holy See Permanent Observer at the UN in Geneva, has talked about the change of the U.N. vocabulary several times.  Most recently, Tomasi appealed the international community to defend the «universality of Human Rights», that already «foresees and provides for the prevention of discrimination.  To propose particular rights [for specific groups] weakens the principle of the universality of rights».

The drafters of the report conclude its introduction stating that «we think that the salient need evident in 2010 is the urgency of witnessing, sanctifying and martyrdom of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Our suggestion for the future is not to separate the diverse aspects of the Social Doctrine of the Church, but to keep them together in the authentic Christian life of the Church. Witnessing, sanctity and martyrdom remind us of this need. Without it, the Social Doctrine of the Church would surrender to the ferocious secularization currently under way, and would lose sight of the primacy of God».

Ultimately, there is the need to free the Social Doctrine of the Church for it to become the path to peace.

Traditionally, the speech the Pope holds in front of the Diplomatic Corp Accredited of the Holy See marks the beginning of the new year. The Pope goes through all the remarkable international facts of the past year, usually paraphrasing the contents of the message for the World Day of Peace. But in the speech held the last January, 9th, the contents of the message for the World Day of Peace 2012 – Educating young people in justice and peace – took just a few lines of the speech. And the speech itself is more focused on the message that would have been, more than on the one that had been delivered. In fact, the original sketch of the message had been profusely amended by the Vatican Secretariat of State. To have an idea of what the first sketch of the message was, it would be sufficient to read the speech that msgr. Mario Toso – secretary of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace – held at the opening of the School of Peace in Este.

What does the Pope really think? The 9th of January speech marks the line. The Pope knows that the difference of Christianity is in truth. He knows that the Church must obviously dialogue with the «signs of our time», but that at the same time the Church cannot lose its identity. This lack of identity, Joseph Ratzinger – as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – wanted to underline in the declaration Dominus Jesus. This lack of identity, Joseph Ratzinger – as young theologian – underlined in a paper, «New pagans and Church», that came directly from his first experience as vice parish priest – when he used to confess one hour a day, and four hours every Sunday. And Christian identity, based on truth, had become the center of the program of his Pontificate.

It is because of Truth – Benedict XVI underlined in the message for World Day of Peace 2011 – Christians are persecuted. And this is why – the Pope said to the ambassadors in the 9th of January speech – «in many countries Christians are deprived of fundamental rights and sidelined from public life; in other countries they endure violent attacks against their churches and their homes. At times they are forced to leave the countries they have helped to build because of persistent tensions and policies which frequently relegate them to being second-class spectators of national life. In other parts of the world, we see policies aimed at marginalizing the role of religion in the life of society, as if it were a cause of intolerance rather than a valued contribution to education in respect for human dignity, justice and peace».

Notwithstanding the attempts to undermine the Holy See diplomacy, diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See has increased during the last year, since Malaysia established diplomatic ties with the Holy See and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (A.S.E.A.N.) accepted the appointment of an apostolic nuncio accredited to that organization. Another sign of the cooperation existing between the Catholic Church and States is seen in the Accords reached in 2011 with Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Mozambique. But probably the main piece of news is in the intention of Benedict XVI to concentrate the procedures of diplomacy on international law.

The speech of the Pope follows the first sketch of the message of the World Day of Peace: from the financial crisis to the Arab Spring and the «vast movement calling for reforms and a more active share in political and social life» brought on by young people, and finally to the request for the «respect of the creation», universal issue that needs «a great sense of solidarity and responsibility towards present and future generations» to be pursued.

Yet, in view of the renewed outbreak of violence in Nigeria, in view of the hostilities and acts of violence that continue in Syria, in view of tensions between Palestinians and Israelis that affect the stability of the entire Middle East (Benedict XVI praises to the Kingdom of Jordan mediation), an excellent person merges as a symbol: Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistan minister for Religious Minorities, whose «untiring battle for the rights of minorities ended in his tragic death. Sadly, we are not speaking of an isolated case. In many countries Christians are deprived of fundamental rights and sidelined from public life».

To this sideline of religion, Pope opposes «the legislative amendment whereby the public juridical personality of religious minorities was recognized in Georgia», and then also «the sentence of the European Court of Human Rights upholding the presence of the crucifix in Italian schoolrooms».

Benedict XVI also asks «to implement educational policies which ensure that schooling is available to everyone and which, in addition to promoting the cognitive development of the individual, show concern for a balanced personal growth, including openness to the Transcendent».

Before the education, there is the human being. The Pope provides law responses: he notes «with satisfaction the recent sentence of the Court of Justice of the European Union forbidding patenting processes relative to human embryonic stem cells, as well as the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemning prenatal selection on the basis of sex». More: «I am convinced –  Benedict XVI says – that legislative measures which not only permit but at times even promote abortion for reasons of convenience or for questionable medical motives compromise the education of young people and, as a result, the future of humanity».

And before the human being, there is the openness to the Trascendent. «Religion – the Pope says, as he already did in Assisi – cannot be employed as a pretext for setting aside the rules of justice and of law for the sake of the intended ‘good’. In this context I am proud to recall, as I did in my native country, that the Christian vision of man was the true inspiration for the framers of Germany’s Basic Law, as indeed it was for the founders of a united Europe».

It is a recall to the roots of Western civilization, and to the rules and laws produced following these common roots. Benedict XVI does not want to play the same game medias and institutions against the Church play. He remarks the difference of Christianity. And – to do it – he does not commit in communication campaigns, he does not choose to follow the signs of our times and to outline a Church adherent to the world. He just points out what the difference is, and he recalls to laws that had been inspired by this peculiar difference. The game is not any more based on  communication and diplomacy. The game the Pope is now playing is based on truth and law. This is a more solid path to thread. It is a path more adherent to Truth.

The assembly was held in Beijing in December 7 to 9, 2010, and saw the election of the new leadership of the Council of Chinese bishop (not recognized by Pope) and the Patriotic Association, whose aims are irreconciliable with a Catholic doctrine. Thanks to manoeuvrings of the Communist Party, Joseph Ma Yinling, (illegitimate) Bishop of Kunming was voted the new chairman of the Council of Chinese Bishops, and Johan Fang Xinyao of Linyi (in communion with the Pope) is instead the new leader of Patriotic Association.

Church and China are now slowly recovering from the socks suffered at the end of the last year. Mgr Paul Liang Jiansen was ordained the 30^th of March as the new bishop of the diocese of Jiangmen (Guandong). Bishop Liang, 46, is approved by the Pope and recognized by Beijing. This «twofold» approval is necessary in China: the 10 million estimated Catholics of the country are split between followers of the Pope and members of the Chinese Catholic Associations. The association is not in communion with Rome and refuses to accept the sole authority of the Pope to appoint new bishops.

In recent years, Episcopal ordinations in China have seen fluctuating fortunes. In the 2005, all new bishops were ordained with the approval of both the Pope and the Chinese authorities. In 2006, Joseph Zen, bishop of Hong Kong, was made cardinal, and China immediately went back to electing bishops without the Pope’s mandate, in April and November. In January 2007, when the news came out that Benedict XVI was going to send a pastoral letter to the Church of China, the consecration of bishops not authorized by Rome ceased, and the new bishop of Beijing was elected with the Pope’s consent. But, starting in December 2007, everything came to a halt for more than two years. In 2009 Hu Jintao came to Italy to participate to G8. The Pope let him know that he would be happy to receive him at the Vatican. The meeting could not be held, but the Pope invitation was appreciated. Then, new bishops were ordained with the twofold approval of the Pope and the Chinese government. After Guo Jincai controversial ordination and the Assembly – the ordination of Mgr. Liang in Jiangmen would open to a new season for Vatican diplomacy in China.

The «creative solution» – as some observer call it – is outlined from the Benedict XVI address to diplomatic corps. After focusing on the case of the China, Benedict XVI quoted the example of Cuba, a communist country which has had diplomatic relations with the Vatican for more than 75 years. And later the Pope cited the positive development in Vietnam, where authorities «have accepted my appointment of a Representative who will express the solicitude of the Successor of Peter by visiting the beloved Catholic community of that country». The «Vietnam model» would be a solution: it does not imply diplomatic relations between States, but the States permission for the Vietnamese Catholics to have relations with the religious hierarchies related to their faith, thus ensuring with their religious freedom.

But card. Joseph Zen, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, has issued a bitter complaint against Church officials who seeks to reach accommodation with the Chinese regime. He argued that the Catholic bishops of China should be urged to resist pressure from Beijing, rather than encourage to avoid confrontations. And he said that mixed signals from Vatican are partly responsible for the fact that many bishops who profess loyalty to Rome participated to the illicit ordination of Joseph Guo Jincai and in the election of new leaders for the Catholic Patriotic Association. «Our bishops – card. Zen said – needed some supply of courage, but instead they received much misplaced compassion, which pushed them deeper and deeper into the mire of slavish subjections».

Is it the time to appease or to strengthen their identity for Chinese Catholics? Chinese situation in the Human Rights field is – as AsiaNews put it – «worse than before the 2008 Olympics, because now the authorities do not only want to silence dissidents for some time, rather they want to silence him entirely». The crackdown began in mid-February, when the protests broke out in North Africa, and China government was terrified by the call to the people, posted on line, to take to the streets for peaceful protests. As a reaction, Beijing began to imprison all noted dissenters, closed down blofs, hunt down critical journalism. The data of the repression of the so-called «Jasmin revolution» are impressing: more than 200 democracy activists under house arrest and at least 26 in prison, many without charge or on trumped-up charges.

Is the diplomatic solution – China broke off relations with the Holy See in 1951 – the right one? Or maybe the Church would follow the path of Matteo Ricci, whose beatification cause is underway? For 28 years he searched for compromise with the court mandarins. Then, he understood that it would have been better to leave the announcement of the Gospel to the care of little (and poorest) communities. Is this the path to follow?