A teaching moment was upon Pope Francis, but for him it was just simply a moment. Really this moment that was upon him where he acted innately as he would more than anything is a learning moment for the world.

Pope Francis has openly embraced Palestinians before the world stage. His warm embrace is more than just that. It says so many things to the world.

What Is Diplomacy?

For those who don’t know let’s first consider diplomacy. What is it? The idea of diplomacy is based in fairness.

According to the dictionary – a noun – the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country’s representatives abroad.

the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way.

“his genius for tact and diplomacy”

So diplomacy means you don’t take sides. You understand there are two sides to every story. You give both parties equal honor and respect to express their viewpoints and sides. You don’t make rash judgements and play the blame and shame game based on your own ideologies, rather you hear people out. You then can choose to see it for what it actually is or you can not exercise diplomacy and just take a side simply because that’s what aligns with your own ideology.

What Does Pope Francis Teach Us About Diplomacy?

While the anti-semitic tropes are beginning to fly the world must understand that we can stand together in solidarity. We do not have to take sides. But the flip side of that token is that if someone is in the wrong we must also stand up for that.

Pope Francis is the first major world figure to meet with family members of Palestinian victims. He did meet with Israelis as well, but it was his statements after that seem to have angered the world cause this whole thing keeps be referred to as an onslaught of terror that began October 7th, but the Pope is learned. He knows this began way before October 7th. The Pope understands what is really happening and the that the Palestinian people are oppressed and their experience of this began many decades before the incident a few weeks ago.

The Pope said this and his statement was somehow misconstrued and offended many Jews, not all who see the importance of standing with all humanity. However those who don’t understand this were upset by his following words –

I’ve heard about how much both of them suffer. Wars do that, but here we are beyond wars, this is not war, this is terrorism.

Pope st. francis

Why The World Needs Diplomacy Now More Than Ever?

The world needs a compassionate leader now more than ever to understand that things are never black and white. It’s more complex and in order tom come up with a peaceful resolution war is never the answer. Rather compassion and empathy and have a depth of awareness around a conflict of this magnitude is critical.

We cannot simply point back to Hamas. We have to dig deeper and consider Hamas. What is Hamas? Why did they form? What is the history of the region? Why are Palestinians oppressed with no civil rights?

Why does Israel have the level of control it does over this region? These are all questions that need to be considered to truly begin to understand the magnitude of the region and what has taken place there.

We can’t just take sides based on religion or race. And this is what the Pope has demonstrated to the world. He is Christian, but he is opening his arms to Jews and Muslims and embracing them and hearing everyone out.

Pope Francis’ Background

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He heads the Roman Catholic Church and was appointed Pope on March 13, 2013, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis is known the world over for his humility and compassionate demeanor, as well as his emphasis on social justice issues, environmental responsibility, and outreach to marginalized communities.

Pope Francis is well-educated and has studied humanities. He holds degrees in philosophy along with a a doctorate in theology.

His education and academic background are a huge contributing factor to his intellectual depth and understanding of theology, philosophy, and humanities.

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