Francisco, the Pope of the dictatorships of Socialism of the 21st Century

(Interamerican Institute for Democracy) The Pope has three roles; he is the Spiritual Leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he also is the Supreme Pontiff of that church, and he is the Head of State of the Vatican. The faith of millions of Roman Catholics makes this Spiritual Leader the supreme power over those who were ordained and those who are loyal to the Pontiff and he is the Absolute Monarch of the Vatican. The Pope is involved in politics because he governs over public matters of global reach and in that context, his relations, actions, and omissions with the dictatorships from Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua make Francisco “the Pope of the 21st Century Socialism dictatorships.”

The Pope is the SPIRITUAL LEADER of the Roman Catholic faithful, the maximum authority who must take care of the flock of believers. This authority is based on the faith that for Roman Catholics is “the set of beliefs of a religion” and “the first of the three theological virtues, concurrent to the revelation of God set forth by the church”.

As the PONTIFF, he is the Bishop of Rome “the supreme prelate of the Roman Catholic Church”, the absolute head of the ecclesiastic structure that includes all ordained and the congregation of faithful. He is “the Head of the general ecclesiastic government” of a global and private organization.

As HEAD OF STATE, he is the maximum authority of the State of the Vatican, “the smallest independent State of the world” birthed with the Treaty of Lateran signed in 1929 by Cardinal Pietro Gasparri on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church and Benito Mussolini on behalf of Italy. It is an “Absolute Monarchy” and the Pope, as Head of State, has full legislative, executive, and judicial powers”.

Respect for life, human rights, and basic individual freedoms are fundamental in the principles and values of the catholic faith, the Roman Catholic Church, and the State of the Vatican. Ever since the papacy of John 23rd (1958-1963) the Roman Catholic Church defends and preaches the contents of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Pope Francisco, in his “intent of prayer of April of 2021” stated “it takes courage and determination to defend fundamental human rights”.

Francisco, the first Latin American Pope “has been recognized for being one of the main players responsible for the restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba”. In September of 2018, Francisco “received recognition from the President of the United States Barack Obama, as well as from dictator Raul Castro for his help to restore relations between these neighboring countries”. Under the banner of a “Pastoral Visit” Pope Francisco was in Cuba from 20 to 22 September of 2015, a visit that “included a private visit to Fidel Castro”.

At the one-year anniversary of the massive protests that started on 11 July of 2021 in Cuba, protests that continue being repressed by the dictatorship through State-terrorism, Pope Francisco was interviewed by Univision News 24/7 and without even making mention on the institutionalized violation of human rights, he said; “I love the Cuban people a lot. . . and I also must confess it, I have a human relation with Raul Castro”. . . “Cuba is a symbol. . .”

In the past few weeks all attention has been focused on Pope Francisco due to his absolute silence regarding criminal acts perpetrated by the Nicaragua’s dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, acts such as; the expelling of nuns from the order Missionaries of Charity, the persecution, harassment, and imprisonment of nuns and the catholic clergy, including the seizure of their means of communication, interventions, and destruction of catholic symbols such as images and idols consecrated to this religion. All of these added to the almost 200 political prisoners, counterfeited prosecutions, torture and hundreds of thousands exiled.

Nicaragua’s Castrochavist dictatorship perpetrates State-terrorism for many years back against Nicaraguan citizens applying the Cuban methodology and lately it is singling-out those ordained, nuns, priests, and members of the catholic clergy as Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, the Bishop of Matagalpa. Back in 2019, in an action clearly favorable to the regime, Francisco the Supreme Pontiff pulled Monsignor Silvio Jose Baez out of Nicaragua, a fact that was clearly seen as a “forcible exile”.

Globally criticized for his “shameful silence”, the Pope today has expressed his “concern and pain for the situation in Nicaragua” asking for “an open and sincere dialogue” in order to “find the basis for a respectfully and pacific co-existence”. A message of support and cover-up to the dictatorships he does not admonish for their flagrant crimes and instead places them at a political level in order to negotiate for their victims. A deplorable role in which he did not even refer to the arbitrary detention of Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, the Bishop of Matagalpa, carried-out by the dictatorship just two days before.

The electrifying silence and statements attuned to simple crises and neither at crimes against humanity nor State-terrorism, regarding the violation of human rights by the 21st Century Socialism dictatorships is a constant for Francisco. He does not consider Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, or Nicaragua as dictatorships. Churches, in those countries, have been deprived of their means of communications and of their learning centers, their clergy are permanent victims of violation of their human rights but Francisco the Pope, the Supreme Pontiff and the Head of the State of the Vatican, remains silent or presents scenarios favorable to the despicable regimes.

A sin of omission in the realm of faith and his pastoral role? What about the abandonment of his flock and lack of protection to his church as Supreme Pontiff? Lest not forget his political acts as Head of the State of the Vatican in order to protect dictatorships. This is the factual reality of Pope Francisco, the Pope of 21st Century Socialism dictatorships.

* Attorney & Political Scientist. Director of the Interamerican Institute for Democracy.

Translation from Spanish by Edgar L. Terrazas