A White Elephant in a China Shop

A fan holds up a giant poster of Pope Francis during his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square.  May 21, 2014.  Photo for Mozzarella Mamma by AP Photographer Alessandra Tarantino
A fan holds up a giant poster of Pope Francis during his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square. May 21, 2014. Photo for Mozzarella Mamma by AP Photographer Alessandra Tarantino

Dear Blog Readers — Tomorrow I am leaving on the Papal Plane (Volo Papale) for the Middle East and I can hardly wait.  It is not as though I am going to be rubbing elbows with Pope Francis — he will sit up at the front with the Cardinals, Swiss Guards and some invited guests and I will be in the back with the press corps.  It is the Pope’s second trip outside of Italy (his first was Brazil last July) and it is my first time traveling with him.  The trip is from Saturday through Monday and the schedule is chock-o-block so I am sure I will have no time to blog until I get back. That is why I want to give you a little preview of what are some of the key things to expect and then I will fill you in on all the behind-the-scenes stuff when I get back.  First, you may be wondering why I have decided to call this post “The White Elephant in a China Shop.”  Well, the Pope is the man in White and he is a big shot.  (By calling him a White Elephant, I certainly do not intend to imply that he is a burdensome possession). Take the big shot in white and put him in the Middle-East, the center of the three mono-theistic religions, the source of conflict and controversy for thousands of years.  Then you give him a packed schedule running between Mufti’s, Rabbi’s, and places of such profound significance as the Wailing Wall and Manger Square, add on top of that a visit to refugee camp, a mass at the sight of the last supper, speeches and homilies and there seems like the elephant might risk breaking some china.  That said, Pope Francis has surprised us all from day one and for all we know that White Elephant may be dancing in the China shop without breaking anything.  We shall see.

Pope Francis greets the faithful during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. May 21, 2014. Photo by AP photographer Alessandra Tarantino for Mozzarella Mamma
Pope Francis greets the faithful during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. May 21, 2014. Photo by AP photographer Alessandra Tarantino for Mozzarella Mamma

The original purpose of the visit was ecumenical, a meeting in Jerusalem with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic trip by Pope Paul VI to Jerusalem to meet with Patriarch Athenagoras. That meeting in 1964 brought the end to a 900 year break between the Eastern and Western Christian churches called the great schism.

A second big theme of the trip will be dialogue.  The Pope is bringing with him on the Papal Plane two friends from Argentina, Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Sheik Omar Abboud of the Islamic Center of Argentina in a symbolic gesture to have representatives of the three monotheistic religions traveling together presumably in harmony. (If I hear otherwise, bickering aboard the Papal plane or tripping each other up, I will let you know)

Pope Francis specifically said this week that his trip is “strictly religious” clearly trying to avoid getting into any political quicksand.  But we are talking about the Middle East where religion and politics are intertwined and it is unavoidable that the man in white will not makes some waves or offend somebody.  There are already several points of tension.

In an interview with Vatican TV this week, the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin laid out the Vatican’s positions on some key issues in the Mideast.  He noted that the Vatican is in favor of the two-state solution explaining that the Vatican recognizes “the right of Israel to exist and to enjoy peace and security within internationally recognized borders; the right of the Palestinian people to have a sovereign and independent homeland, the right to move freely, the right to live in dignity.”

On this particular issue, the Vatican has already ruffled some feathers in Israel with the Pope’s decision to fly directly from his first stop Amman, Jordan to Bethlehem.  The Pope will meet Sunday morning with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before holding a mass in Manger Square.  He will then eat lunch with Palestinian families, including several from the Gaza Strip, and in the afternoon he will visit the Dheisheh refugee camp.  In the afternoon he will be taken from Bethlehem aboard a Jordanian military helicopter to Tel Aviv where he will get the Israeli welcoming ceremony.

But if Israeli feathers are being ruffled (or china being broken, to stick with my original metaphor) by the choice to visit the Palestinians first, the Palestinian feathers are being ruffled by the Pope’s decision to place a wreath of flowers on the tomb of Theodor Herzl — the founder of Zionism.

Another position of the Vatican, explained by Cardinal Parolin is that Jerusalem should be an international city.  Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, but many foreign states do not recognize it, maintaining their embassies in Tel Aviv.  Earlier this week Cardinal Peter Turkson explained to me that the Vatican Nunciature is in Tel Aviv and Parolin explained that the Vatican recognizes “the sacred and universal character of the city of Jerusalem,” and would like it to be “a place of pilgrimage for the followers of the three monotheistic religions.

There has been some tension over the Pope saying Mass Monday in his last event of the trip on Mount Zion in the Upper Room or the Cencale — the site of The Last Supper.  On the lower floor is the Tomb of David, an important site for Jews.  Israel has control over the site but will allow the Mass on this occasion.  Jewish extremist groups are planning protests against this event.

In his briefing with the press the Pope’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, downplayed reports of Jewish extremists spray-painting anti-christian graffiti on Christian sites prior to the Pope’s visit.  “Death to Arabs, Christians and all those who Hate Israel” was one spray-painted graffiti that appeared on the walls of a church office in Jerusalem a few weeks ago.  Lombardi expressed his full confidence in the Israeli security to deal with any protests.

The Pope’s spokesman also told a briefing of journalists at the Vatican that Pope Francis would like to go around as much as possible in an open Pope-mobile — not a bullet-proof vehicle– so that he can be closer to the people.  Perhaps he has someone upstairs protecting him, but I honestly think the Pope doesn’t have to worry in Israel.  As National Catholic Reporter Melanie Lidman wrote yesterday, there will be 8,000 Israeli police on duty in and around Jerusalem.  I do not have a figure on the security in place in the Palestinian territories.

Another big theme of the trip is the overall threats to Christians across the Middle-East.  Christians have been persecuted in Egypt, Iraq and Syria and many are fleeing the Middle East.  The Vatican has repeatedly expressed its concern.  In his interview the Cardinal Secretary of State said the Pope “wants to underline, in his direct encounter with them (Christians living in the Middle-East) two things: that these Christians are living stones, and that without their presence, the Holy Land and the Holy Places themselves are likely to be transformed into museums.”  He suggested that their presence “assures us that there is a living Christian community and a living presence of the Risen Lord.”

In all this discussion of Israel and the Palestinian territories, I am skipping the first-leg of the trip to Jordan.  Tomorrow the Pope will land in Amman, Jordan and rush off to the Royal Palace to meet with King Abdullah Hussein, his wife Queen Rania and their children.   He will say Mass at the stadium in Amman and then will go down to the Jordan River to visit the site of the Baptism of Jesus at Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan.  There he will meet with refugees from Syria and Iraq and with disabled young people.  According to some press information provided by the Jordanian government, 600,000 Syrian war refugees have come to Jordan in the past 4 years, joining the 700,000 Syrians already living there.  They now make up about 20-percent of the Jordanian population. Of the total number of Syrian refugees, 20,000 are Christians.

Pope Francis greets a group of indigenous people in traditional dress at his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. May 21, 2014. Photo by AP photographer Alessandra Tarantino for Mozzarella Mamma
Pope Francis greets a group of indigenous people in traditional dress at his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. May 21, 2014. Photo by AP photographer Alessandra Tarantino for Mozzarella Mamma

I did a similar trip with Pope Benedict XVI in May, 2009 and I loved the trip down to Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan.  The site of Jesus’ baptism is more or less a mud-puddle and the river a trickle, but the stark, rugged mountainous desert landscape is beautiful.

Now you might be wondering what are the advantages for journalists on the Papal Plane.  Well, the biggest advantage is that it is usually the one chance where journalists can actually ask the Pope questions.  If the Pope chooses, he can come back to the part of the plane where the journalists are and talk to us.  Pope Benedict XVI used to do this in a very formal way.  We all had to submit questions ahead of the trip and the Pope’s spokesman would choose five.  On the plane the spokesman would read the questions and the Pope would answer.  It was not very spontaneous.

On Pope Francis’ first trip aboard to Brazil last August, he blew away the press corps by talking for nearly two hours and taking all sorts of questions on the 13 hour flight home.

So, I’ve been wondering what some of the questions journalists might ask if we are given a chance on this flight.  In addition to all the questions about this particular trip — Middle East Peace, Syria, Christians in the Middle East etc., I’ve been thinking there are some other issues that might be raised.  Will anyone ask him if he is going to respond by the letter sent to him by a group of 26 women who said they had long term relationships with priests but had to suffer in silence and would he consider lifting priestly celibacy? What does he think about the UN Committee Against Torture’s latest report on clergy sexual violence and cover ups in the Catholic Church?  How is the Vatican bank clean-up coming along and how does he respond to reports that the former Secretary of State Cardinal Bertone mis-used 15 million euros transferring them from the Vatican bank to a media company run by a friend?  What does he have to say about the report on Vatican radio yesterday that Martha Heizer, founder of the progressive We Are The Church movement was excommunicated on Wednesday together with her husband for celebrating Mass together?  What are his expectations for the Synod on the family in October and would be personally like to see church policy on communion for divorced Catholics.  And I have one more with a bit of personal interest in it.  Since becoming Pope you have given one-on-one interviews to three Italian male journalists.  Would you be willing to give an interview to a woman who covers the Vatican?

So, dear blog readers, that is what I am thinking off the top of my head.  If any of you had a chance to ask a question to the Pope, what would you ask?

Below is a photo of me sitting outside the Dome of the Rock Mosque during Pope Benedict’s XVI visit in 2009.  The photo was taken by AP cameraman Gianfranco Stara as I was filing a report to AP Radio. I remember I was saying how Benedict had taken off his red shoes and entered the mosque in white socks.

 

Trisha Thomas on the Dome of the Rock reporting of the visit of Benedict XVI May 2009. Photo by Gianfranco Stara
Trisha Thomas on the Dome of the Rock reporting of the visit of Benedict XVI May 2009. Photo by Gianfranco Stara

 

 

14 thoughts on “A White Elephant in a China Shop”

  1. A very thought provoking post! Makes me aware of many things I had not considered! Thank you for that and for sharing your posts I really enjoy them!
    Thank you

  2. Well, I rise to the bait of questions – but first, want to thank you for this remarkably cogent description of the tensions, the practicalities, and the itinerary in which the Pope will be immersed.
    My questions: 1. How does the Pope advise Christian people to deal with extremists – in their own society or afar – how should Nigerian Christians react to Boco Haram, and to the tensions with Moslems in Nigeria? And what about Ukraine? And his mass at the site of the Last Supper?
    2. Can he envision steps that will lead to peace in Israel?

    1. Trisha Thomas

      Thank you Nancy! Excellent questions. I had not thought about the Boko Haram question. I did ask Cardinal Peter Turkson of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace about it the other day and he pooh-poohed the social media #bringbackourgirls outcry and said the only way to solve the problem is with the Nigerian Security Forces. I was surprised. He said the Bishop in Nigeria is doing what he can, but it did not sound like he thought a negotiated situation was possible. Scary. On the Ukraine, I think the Pope has been more hesitant to criticize Putin. Remember when the US was talking about bombing Syria, he led a day-long fast and prayer vigil. He has done nothing like that for Ukraine. The Vatican has a delicate relationship with Russia because of the Orthodox church. I think Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis wanted/want to visit Russia, and so have hesitated to strongly condemn Putin. (That at least is my impression). Finally, I hope that he will lay out some vision for steps to peace in Israel during this trip.

  3. Philip Hurst

    … and this pope refuses to wear the traditional red shoes.

    I hope that if he visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem it is significantly less of a chaotic, noisy scrum, circus, than it was when I was there last week. Impossible to see anything, brawls were breaking out in the 3-hour-wait lines to see inside “the tomb” and the noise level was deafening. Anything less appropriate, short of indoor football, for one of the holiest sites in Christendom is hard to imagine. At the Gethsemane church, gardeners were frantically installing lighting and bedding new plants in anticipation of Francis’ visit this weekend.

    1. Trisha Thomas

      Philip — I should have had you write this post– a preps piece hearing about what is happening as people get ready in Jerusalem would have been really interesting.

  4. . . by not confronting the political situation and human rights violations in the decidedly unholy land the man is once again allowing expediency to trump the courage to do the right thing. There is no doubt that he is a very charismatic leopard but the spots are unchanged. It will be very interesting to follow your trip.

    1. Trisha Thomas

      You’ve changed him into a leopard, and I was suggesting he was an elephant. Oh, you are right that there are so many human rights violations in the Middle East that need to be addressed.

  5. Question for the Pope..as the UN gets more serious about Vatican compliancy, what are your plans for Cardinal Law? All of Boston wants to know.

    1. Trisha Thomas

      Hi Penny — Thank you for that. John Allen from The Boston Globe is here, I will ask him if he intends to ask that question. We see Cardinal Law all the time at Vatican events here in Rome– from Mass to Embassy cocktail parties.

  6. my questions
    apologies are far more to the point
    why does the Pope not
    tell all bishops, priest etc that they must report all suspected child abusers past & present to police withot delay or exception

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