Once again, Pope Francis surprised by changing the course of the plane that, before taking him to Mexico, took him again - in less than six months - to Cuba. This time to fulfill a historic appointment with the Patriarch of the Russian Church.
The warm Cuban atmosphere opened doors that had been closed for a thousand years. The embrace of Francis and Kirill showed that unity is possible. This was reflected in the joint declaration they signed. In 30 points, the religious leaders called for an end to the war in Ukraine and stressed the importance of the roots of Christianity and its teachings in world peace, the defense of human life and coexistence.
But the worldwide expectation of the meeting deflated the interest of some in Europe who, upon learning of the declaration, were left with anecdotes: they expected a political text against Russia, the European Union, the United States or all three. Important media did not dare to report, for example, paragraph 21, which warns of the millions of abortions and other attacks on human life such as euthanasia. Neither did they mention number 8 on religious freedom, nor number 19 on the family, or number 20 on marriage. Later, in Mexico and on the plane back to Rome, Francis took the opportunity to insist on these issues.
Francis called for alternatives to the immigration crisis on the southern border of the United States. Without making direct reference to the pre-candidate Donald Trump, the Pope expressed that "a person who thinks only of building walls, wherever he is, and not building bridges, is not a Christian".. A statement that aroused controversy in the middle of a presidential campaign. Francis recalled the political nature of the human being, well defined by Aristotle, but which did not convince those involved, perhaps the same ones who did not know the conclusions of the Havana meeting.
Former Ambassador of Colombia to the Holy See.
