Pope must work to keep balance of power and build world peace, bureaucrats say

Thiruvananthapuram – In a roundtable discussion on "Change in the Vatican and International Relations" co–hosted by the Amity Center for International Studies and Research, an education foundation, and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), several former diplomats and bureaucrats have suggested that the world is looking at Pope Benedict XVI to work to keep a balance of power and build peace.

The new Pope is "positioned to improve ties with Islamic nations, the Russian Orthodox Church and other ecumenical Churches," Babu Paul, an Orthodox theologian of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and a former civil servant, said at the April 30 discussion on the papacy.

Explaining that the late Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict's predecessor, opposed the U.S.–led war on Iraq and thus improved the papacy's global image, especially among Islamic nations, Paul said that Pope Benedict is in a better position to initiate dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church, since Pope John Paul was seen as the man behind the fall of communism.

According to Paul, few talked about a papal election's global impact when Pope Paul VI succeeded Pope John XXIII in 1963. But because Pope John Paul II extended the papacy onto "a larger canvas" the new Pope cannot act only as the head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, since he "is now the keeper of global conscience."

A big challenge for the Pope would be to reorient spirituality to fill the vacuum created by the fall of communism, he continued.

"Today the vacuum is filled by imperialistic consumerism and market–derived capitalism. Pope Benedict XVI will make an effort to fill the global vacuum with spirituality and give a new direction to the Church in this regard," he predicted.

Amity director T.P. Sreenivasan, a former diplomat, said the discussion was organized because the papal election was a "timely" subject, especially for those interested in international relations.

According to K.P.S. Menon, former secretary to the federal Foreign Affairs Ministry, the new Pope will help keep a balance and guide the world. "I don't see the Holy See as a seat of power. Like his predecessor, (Pope Benedict) will make great impact with his words and deeds," said Menon, a Hindu and an expert on China.

Thomas Abraham, who served three years as Indian ambassador to the Holy See, warned of confrontation if the new Pope makes moves for "aggressive evangelization in Asia, and especially in India."

"[The Pope is] a liberal theologian and all his writings expressed liberal attitudes," insisted Abraham, a Marthoma Christian. "The world is looking at the Pope for guidance and balance of power."

“Today, the Vatican has become a key player in international relations," he said.