Even in Death, Pope Francis Still Works to Bring Peace – The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

The sadness of Saturday’s final farewell to Pope Francis was tempered by a glimmer of hope flickering from the baptistry of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy sat together for a few moments in private to discuss a deal that has remained in the works — and excruciatingly so — since Trump began his second term. We have little idea of what the two leaders said to one another in that sacred place (indeed, we have little idea of the deal’s specifics), but, having worked inside the Vatican, I can assure you that the brief tête-à-tête was more than symbolic. (READ MORE: The Death of Pope Francis)

Several commentators quickly criticized the inappropriateness of such a meeting when the focus should have been on the solemnity of the funeral, but having worked for the late pontiff, I can assure you he would not only have had no objections, he would have delayed his own funeral to give the two leaders as much time as they needed. No conflict weighed as heavily on Francis’s heart as that between Russia and Ukraine, except perhaps Israel and Gaza. (RELATED: (READ MORE: Requiescat in Pace, Pope Francis))

Granted, the meeting in Saint Peter’s on Saturday was anything but “official,” and no representative of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State was ostensibly present. But that is precisely the point. Vatican City State has long been a place to resolve international disputes in ways impossible anywhere else, precisely because it is so inconspicuous and unimportant.

Indeed, hardly anyone realizes how silently present the Holy See is on the international scene. Almost no one notices its diplomatic activity until there is some breakthrough, and even then, it’s usually glossed over.

I’m no admirer of the Biden years, but in the closing days of his administration, the Holy See managed to broker a deal between the U.S. and Cuba that provisioned the release of 553 prisoners in exchange for the U.S. removing Cuba from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (STT). Although Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that releasing the prisoners was “in the spirit of the 2025 Jubilee,” Trump rescinded the U.S. side of the bargain within days of taking the oath.

My intention is not to judge the prudence of either Biden’s or Trump’s decision, but to draw attention to the Holy See’s assiduous, decades-long effort to heal relations between the United States and Cuba and reintegrate Cuba back into the global community. Hardly anyone notices, but this is precisely how the Holy See — and particularly Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin — wants it.

So, not only did the Vatican not look askance at Trump and Zelenskyy seizing the opportunity to sit down together before the funeral, she, better than anyone else, knows that there is no better place for such a meeting to take place than within her meagre 109 acres.

Vatican City State is the smallest sovereign state in the world and yet enjoys full diplomatic relations with 184 nations, in addition to the European Union and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The Swiss Guard is not out to conquer new territory. Vatican City State has been more than satisfied with its territorial and extraterritorial domains since the signing of the Lateran Treaty with the Kingdom of Italy in 1929, precisely because it puts it in a highly unique position to arbitrate international disputes and facilitate peace talks in a way no other nation can.

President Trump has repeatedly insisted that he is not favoring Ukraine or Russia. He just wants the killing to stop. Yet now he is beginning to realize that such a feat is much easier said than done when you are the leader of the world’s strongest nation. It’s hard to be a neutral arbitrator when you have mineral interests in Ukraine, security interests with Russia, and defense obligations to the entire European continent. Recent statements by Trump, Rubio, and Vance reveal the deep frustration in trying to broker a deal between two parties, neither of which completely trusts you, let alone each other. (RELATED: Why Trump Is Pissed Off at Putin)

I am not suggesting that the Holy See has the diplomatic firepower to end the war in Ukraine. Far from it. I am simply trying to give a peek into a sovereign entity whose diplomatic power is widely misunderstood and underestimated by both Catholics and the general public.

In 1885, when the German Empire and the Kingdom of Spain were deadlocked in a conflict over the sovereignty of the Caroline Islands and Palau in the western Pacific, the two monarchs turned to Pope Leo XIII for help. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck insisted that the arbitrator be completely independent, and King Alfonso XII found it impossible to reject Bismarck’s proposal of Leo, given Spain’s thorough Catholicity. Bismarck was also hoping to reestablish relations with the Holy See after a vicious rift caused by the Kulturkampf. Leo decreed that the islands were Spanish while granting Germany trading and settling rights.

It’s arguable whether this was a just decision, and late-19th-century geopolitics were undoubtedly much different than today’s. And yet, the Holy See is no less a subject of international law and a participant in international relations than it was back then.

The Holy See has maintained full diplomatic relations with Ukraine since 1992 and with Russia since 2009. Except for the yellow and white papal flag, you would hardly notice the Apostolic Nunciature (i.e., the Holy See’s equivalent of an Embassy) if you passed it on the streets of Kyiv or Moscow.

You also wouldn’t think that geopolitics had much to do with the Cardinals’ deliberations during the General Councils or within the Sistine Chapel in the coming weeks. But they are more aware than anyone that, in choosing a successor to Peter, they also must elect the head of a sovereign, juridical entity under international law that actively participates in bilateral and multilateral international relations through the accreditation and reception of diplomatic representatives and the ratification of treaties.

If you think that’s medieval claptrap, just pull back the curtain and peek into the baptistry of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

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