CRISTINA, VLADIMIR AND FRANCIS

Embracing the pope and the new world order

It was back in 1944. In the midst of a meeting about the post-war world, Winston Churchill was explaining his views about the moral power of the Roman Catholic Church. Joseph Stalin interrupted him with a sarcastic comment disguised as a question: “How many divisions does the Pope of Rome have?” Stalin asked , making it clear that he only believed in military might as a source of power.

More than 70 years later, it is quite clear that those who succeeded Stalin at the Kremlin — especially after the fall of the Soviet Union — have different views about the power of the Vatican. Last Wednesday, Vladimir Putin visited the pope in Rome. It was their second meeting, and the situation in Ukraine was at the top of their agenda. Putin was not the first Kremlin leader to visit the pope.

Quite often, Argentines are said to be too self-centred and always ready to be convinced that whenever anything happens in the world, it must have some kind of link to Argentina. This writer believes that — perhaps in most occasions — it is a fair assessment. But, at the same time, in view of some of last week’s news, a look at the links that associate President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Pope Francis and Vladimir Putin might show some unexpected developments. There are several facts as well as some indicators, which stem from educated speculation, that seem to underpin this view.

Some facts: Russia and Argentina have publicly announced their strategic alliance. The alliance encompasses technological cooperation in areas like the generation of nuclear power that is needed by Argentina. Argentina in turn provides food exports to Russia that are quite important at a time when the EU and the US are sanctioning Moscow because of Ukraine, especially since there seem to be plans to extend the enforcement of these sanctions. Also, in political terms, Argentina supports Russia’s position in its conflict with Ukraine. And Moscow reciprocates by supporting Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the South Atlantic Islands. The alliance also implies a shared and critical view of the United States and of some its important EU partners.

It is also a fact that, when Jorge Bergoglio became Pope Francis, the Argentine president was quick to send friendly signals to Rome, putting an end to the several years of confrontation between the Kirchners and Bergoglio. These signals were acknowledged and reciprocated in terms of offering quick and quite frequent access to the Vatican, not only for Cristina, but also for several members of her inner circle.

Pope Francis has also made friendly gestures toward Putin. He has not condemned Russia’s policy on Ukraine, limiting his messages to a call for peace, asking Christians not to kill each other. And this message had some clearly identified addressees, including the Russian Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic Churches — permanently at loggerheads with each other.

Then there is the informed speculation. First, there is the fact that many top brains in the government are seriously convinced that the world is quickly changing its geopolitical shape. They point out at several indicators that range from China’s new role in the world to the emergence of the BRICS, the association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The economic problems in Europe underpin the Kirchnerites’ view, who remark that the end of US hegemony is here or just around the corner. Which, in turn, shows that the way forward is for strong states that, under regional associations, regulate their economies and manage — within this framework — their trade and investment relations .

Those who follow the Vatican closely emphasize the Pope’s activism which he has applied to hands-on conflict resolution, global in scope from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. They also insist on assigning a Peronist DNA to Francis, explaining such identity in terms of a geopolitical view of the world in which countries should not accept the place pre-assigned to them by the great powers.

As for the style, it implies the ability to find the adequate political task for each political leader, which can be determined by the possibility of assigning specific and appropriate roles to each of them. The obvious resemblance is to Perón who, from his Madrid exile, managed to be a more than significant player in Argentina’s politics. The observers speculate that Bergoglio has exactly the same ability. And that the future he envisages for Ms. Kirchner is that of being his informal ambassador, operating as a unifier and trouble-shooter in Latin America. It should be noted that this view, which many will see as a mere pipedream, was put forward by serious and non-Peronist operators.

@andresfederman

CREDITS: BUENOS AIRES HERALD