Med this week's newsletter provides informed insights on the most important developments in the MENA region, combining unique opinions and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today we shed light on Pope Francis' legacy in the Mediterranean, between inter-religious dialogue and the message of peace.
The passage of Pope Francis on April 21 marks the end of the Pope, deeply rooted in a vision of peace, inclusion and dialogue. This vision was less obvious than the wider Mediterranean, the iconic and strategic intersection for his idyllic mission. Over his decades of Pope, Pope Francis witnessed and responded to a series of global and regional crises, from the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean to the upsurge of ISIS to ongoing regional conflicts. To face these challenges, the Pope engaged in interfaith dialogue, particularly with the Islamic world, creating the critical features of his Pope. His many journeys to the Middle East and North African countries stand as evidence of this commitment, as well as the groundbreaking signature of a document on human fraternity with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar in Abu Dhabi and his historic meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, the Shia Clergyman in Iraq. However, his vision went far beyond inter-religious dialogue. Unshakable solidarity with the marginalized people has brought him to the forefront of defending religious pluralism and minority rights, honoring the memories of the migrants who owned to the ruins of the church in Mosul, the Mediterranean coast. Many times, Bergoglio has sought peace and stability across the broader Mediterranean Sea. He defended Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation, including President Abdel Fatta Al-Sisi, President Recept Tayp Erdogan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as his involvement with major Mena leaders. During the ongoing Gaza War, he personally called the only Catholic parish on the strip almost every night, and even on Easter Sundays, even hours before his death, he issued final and urgent pleas for a ceasefire. His unique relationship with the Arab world and the wider Mediterranean is reflected in the unshakable devotion to vulnerable people regardless of faith, as well as the vision of the Mediterranean as a space of peace, and many compliments arriving from religious and political leaders around the region that share humanity and share shared humanity.
Experts in the ISPI network are discussing Pope Francis' legacy in the wider Mediterranean region.
For the humanization of all wars and conflicts in Gaza
“In the war in Gaza, Pope Francis was speaking out, but almost unheard of, is a rare example of humanizing the Palestinian side of the conflict. Like the war in Ukraine, he is instead promoted to defend diplomacy and involuntary solutions instead. Measured judgment, and sometimes courage – he suggests the possibility of an ongoing genocide, or perhaps his most important contribution, to his daily priest to his daily call priest to a small Catholic priest who truly humanized the conflict, Western media conveyed the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians as faceless statistics, but Francis, without personal stories, through solidarity with small segments of the affected population (not distinguished among Muslims who were refuge together in the parish).
Caterina Roggero, Senior Associate Research Associate at ISPI MENA Center
Pope Francis' regional diplomacy exceeds minority
“The Tripps Francis' maps and programs to the Mena region reflect an agenda that goes beyond the concerns of Christian minorities. He visited Jordan, Palestine, Israel (2014), Egypt (2017), Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (2019), Iraq (2012), Balein (2019), and Balein (202222). Pope Al-Azhar Francis took a strong stance on the logic of rights of minorities. He intended to establish strong ties with Islamic religious and political authorities in the region, and he represented the assurance of peaceful coexistence with Christians.
Fadi Daou, Executive Director of Globethics
The transformational power of interreligious dialogue in the Mediterranean Sea.
“Pope Francis is remembered as a ruthless champion of religious dialogue, especially in the Middle East. Frequent involvement with both Sunni and Shiite leaders highlighted not only his inter-pagan outreach but also his inter-pagan outreach, for his historical visits of historical visits in the Islamic and Arab worlds. And through his pilgrimage he again remade it when the country struck a powerful chord, not as a land defined by the conflict, when it was born out of the fear of ISIS.
Hayder Al-Khoei, Ambassador, BPUR International. Political Analyst
The impact on migration issues beyond the Catholic world
“Pope Francis' first official idyllic visit took place in Lampedusa on July 8, 2013, where he met with immigrant groups and prayed for those who died across the Mediterranean. The Libyan conflict was followed by the development of sophisticated border control measures aimed at restraining the migration movement and solidarity with the subsequent political scenario.
Luca Siabari, Associate Professor, Statistics University, University of Milan
Voices for immigration amid political constraints
“Pope Francis was known as an advocate of immigration among his popes, often referred to as the “archbishop of the poor.” This was a title that closely coincided with my 2013 visit to Lampedusa. The visit was iconic. His political power, advocating safe migration routes and legal protections, means he has not been able to shift EU migration policies or influence hard-line governments.
Inciöküyener-Roderburg, Postdoctoral Researcher, Global Christianity and Interreligious Relations, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University
