Testo originale del articolo in inglese qui
Seventy-four years of history have elapsed between the fall of the Tsar's Empire in 1917 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After this long period, the destinies of the USSR, which stretched from the Urals to the Central Asian plateau and the borders of Siberia, were decided by a Leader.
Coloro che il giorno 11 del marzo 1985 misero Mijail Gorbachov (Privolnoie 1931) alla testa del potere non si resero conto di stare eleggendo l'ultimo Segretario Generale del Partito Comunista Sovietico. At 54 he was the most youthful member of the Politburo, at the time he was the natural candidate for the succession of the elder Konstantin Chernienko. For the first time in the history of the Soviet Union, the Cremlino's marriage, that of Mikhail and his wife Raissa, four years older than him, did not surpass for age that of the White House.
Gorbaciov's policy
Even though he was not a strict disseminator of the system, Gorbaciov was a communist convinced of the fundamental principles of the socialist ideology, and he tried to maintain his commitment. Together with the policy of transparency (Glasnost), the Perestrojka was his great objective: the reform of the system from within and from above, without renouncing socialism.
Whether he acted out of conviction or necessity, the complicated economic and social situation of the USSR, at the end of his term of office, led to a revival of relations with the United States, and the Geneva summit with Reagan in November 1985 paved the way for détente. The new international climate now makes nuclear arms reduction agreements and international disarmament possible. History has recognized its role in the fall of the Berlin Wall, and in the non-violent transformations of 1989 that took place in Central-Eastern Europe: Gorbaciov could have reacted in the Soviet style, as in the crises in Hungary (1956) and in Czechoslovakia (1968), but he chose to allow the people to walk freely on their own path.
The decisive role of Gorbaciov in these events did not pass unnoticed to another great protagonist of the transformation of Europe: John Paul II. By the way, I have dedicated my thesis in political science to the analysis of the influence of the first pope on those events. And Gorbaciov himself has accepted my invitation to write the presentation of the book. I have recently published a long article on their relationship, since in those years I personally interviewed both of them, verifying their mutual esteem. Gorbaciov records his admiration for John Paul II in the letters he wrote to me on the occasion of the thesis, historical documents that I donated some time ago to the general archive of the University of Navarre.
The birth of a friendship
From their first meeting in the Vatican, on December 1, 1989, a current of admiration and esteem has flowed between them. Two decades later, spokesman Navarro-Valls will recall that, among all the meetings they had during the 27 years of his pontificate, "one of those that Karol Wojtyla liked the most was the one he had with Mikhail Gorbaciov". That day the spokesman asked Pope John Paul II for his impression of Gorbaciov: he is "a man of principles", the Pope replied, "a person who believes so much in his values that he is ready to accept all the achievements that can derive from them".
After the death of Pope John Paul II, Gorbaciov was interviewed on Radio Free Europe. The journalist said: "Mikhail Sergeevich, he was the first Soviet leader to meet Pope John Paul II.
Why did he decide at that moment to ask for an interview? The answer recalled the very special circumstances of that extraordinary year: "A lot of things happened that had not been achieved in previous decades. I think this is due to the fact that, in 1989, we had already made a lot of progress".
Mutual trust
What has facilitated the rapprochement between the two personalities? For the last Soviet leader, the key was in history and geography: they were both slaves. "Initially" - Gorbaciov recalled after the death of
Giovanni Paolo II - "to show how far the Holy Father was a slave, and how he respected the new Soviet Union, he proposed to spend the first 10 minutes alone, and to speak in Russian". Wojtyla was prepared for the conversation, passing over the Russian language: "I have broadened my knowledge for the occasion", he said at the beginning.
The relationship between the two personalities is a clear example of the "social friendship" that Pope Francis describes in "Fratelli tutti": "avvicinarsi, esprimersi, ascoltarsi, guardarsi, guardarsi, conoscersi, provare capirsi, cercando punti di contatto, tutto questo si riassume nel verbo 'dialogo'" (n. 198).
Giovanni Paolo II and Mikhail Gorbaciov have made the effectiveness of the encounter possible with their approach. They have shown their "ability to respect the other's point of view, accepting the possibility that this may contain some conventions or legitimate interests.
Dalla sua identità, l'altro ha qualcosa da contribuire, ed è auspicabile che approfondisca ed esponga la propria posizione affinché il dibattito pubblico sia ancora più completo" (n. 203).
The memory of Gorbaciov
The two slaves were surprised by that conversation in the Library of the Palazzo Apostolico. They were surprised by the harmony that emerged so naturally. "Quando si tenne l'incontro," Gorbaciov recalls, "anni dopo, disi al Papa che parole uguali o simili si trovano spesso nelle mie dichiarazioni e nelle sue." It was not a case. So much coincidence was a sign that there was "something in common at the base, in our thoughts". That meeting was the beginning of a special relationship between two initially very distant personalities. "I think I can justly say that in those years we have become friends", writes Gorbaciov on the centenary of John Paul II. With the passing of time Mikhail Gorbaciov will be placed in his rightful place in the history of the 20th century, and the greatness of his revolution will be better understood.
