The Vatican is going to present Putin with the "Golden Palm"

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

According to the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, the Vatican has decided to award Russian President Vladimir Putin with the Golden Palm, an award for efforts aimed at establishing peace in the Middle East. The newspaper claims that it got access to a diplomatic report drawn up on the results of the visit of Vatican representatives to Moscow, where they met with Metropolitan Hilarion a few days ago.

According to information from unofficial channels, Vladimir Putin has already agreed to receive the Golden Palm, the newspaper said. It is also reported that the Russian president is ready to visit the Italian city of Assisi, where the prize is traditionally presented. According to the author of the article, Putin wants the celebration of the presentation of the award to preserve its spiritual character - for this reason, he will be accompanied on the trip by a high representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The honorary award "Golden Palm" has been awarded by the Vatican since the 1980s by the ASSISI PAX International.

It is noted that it is designed to perpetuate the meeting of John Paul II with representatives of different religions, which took place in 1986. Then they prayed together in Assisi for peace. This award was once received by Ronald Reagan and Benedict XVI.

The Italian side comments on the information received by the Polish newspaper. “We want to reward someone from Russia with the highest rank. We are making every effort to make him President Putin. Due to organizational issues, security and other considerations, we cannot finally confirm this,”the newspaper quotes the representative of ASSISI PAX International, Pietro Mataresi. The award is traditionally presented in June. However, in the case of Putin, according to representatives of the fund, the ceremony may be postponed to October.

Russophobes hysterical

However, the Polish media, which today are gripped by the hysteria of Russophobia, this decision of the Catholic Church caused a storm of indignation. “The desire to reward Putin is surprising. The Russian president is a key ally of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who once again used chemical weapons against his own people,”the same Gazeta Vyborcha is outraged.

At the same time, the newspaper did not find anything better than to list in the form of "evidence" all the false reports of Western media about alleged cases of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian authorities and unfoundedly accuses Putin of supporting the alleged "criminal regime." And this despite the fact that none of the cases was proven, and with regard to the staging of the last chemical attack in Duma, which served as a pretext for the West to bombard Syria with missiles, witnesses have already been found who convincingly confirmed that this is a gross provocation.

But the special indignation of Polish journalists was caused by the message that Putin may not come to Italy alone, but together with the Primate of the Russian Church, Patriarch Kirill.

Special position

However, the fury of Russophobes over the international recognition of Russia's growing authority and merits in the peaceful settlement of complex international problems is understandable.

The Vatican's award to Putin is clear evidence of the failure of their attempts to isolate our country and distort its role in a constructive resolution of the bloody conflict in Syria.

In addition, it is known that in 2016, Putin already met in the Vatican with Pope Francis, who even then presented the Russian President with a medal depicting a peacemaker angel.

“This medal, which was produced by an artist of the last century, depicts an angel who brings peace, justice, solidarity and protection. And also this text, in which there are reflections on the fact that the Gospel brings us light into life and joy, and there are geopolitical reflections both about us and about our life, the pontiff said then, presenting the award, which became an obvious recognition Vatican's peace-loving policy of Russia.

It should be especially noted that Vatican diplomacy is distinguished by a special, independent view of geopolitics, while it has a great social impact. Even then, after meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Pope supported his position on Syria, and world politicians were forced to listen to this. In addition, it is known that the Vatican is closely following the development of the conflict in Donbass and is concerned about the breakdown of the Minsk agreements. At the same time, the Pope, despite pressure from the United States and Kiev, refused to speak out against Russia on the Ukrainian issue.

In general, the Roman Catholic Church has considerable experience in mediation during the resolution of military conflicts, and the status of the head of state helps the Pope to act as a diplomat.

For example, the Catholic Church and its leader, John Paul II, played a leading role in preventing the armed conflict between Argentina and Chile in 1978. The Vatican took an active part in the negotiations between the United States and Cuba, where Catholicism is the main religion.

Pope Francis initiated a joint prayer between Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Prayer in the Vatican was perceived in the world as a desire to establish dialogue in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Today Italy, judging by the results of the last elections, intends, after the new government is formed, to start strengthening the development of ties with Russia. Therefore, it is possible that the current unexpected decision of the Vatican on the award of the Russian leader and recognition of the peacekeeping role of Russia in Syria against the background of Russophobia raging in the West, sanctions and the aggressive policy of the United States and its satellites is also a signal.

Perhaps the Vatican is playing a more complex game and is becoming a "negotiator" in the face of blocking all other channels of dialogue between the West and Russia.