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Greece: Pope Francis’ visit focuses on democracy, migration and Christian unity
Olaf Scholz takes over Merkel as German Chancellor; CAHAI’s recommendations on the world’s first AI treaty; Putin in India
IN FOCUS
By Padmashree Anandhan
Greece: Pope Francis’ visit focuses on democracy, migration and Christian unity
On 04 December, Pope Francis from Rome visited Greece as part of his eastern Mediterranean tour. The tour aimed to create awareness of the migrant suffering. A key part of the papacy is to humanize migrants and refugees. Upon visiting a camp on the island of Lesbos, the Pope said: “... because of Europe’s moves to deter and block migrants, the Mediterranean Sea, the cradle of so many civilizations, now looks like a mirror of death.” On his previous visit to the island, the Pope took a few migrants on the plane with him while returning to Rome. The migrant crisis faced by the island of Lesbos only adds to the larger European migration problem. Largely ignored by the EU, the papal visit was seen as an effort to bring back the attention of the bloc to the Island.
The visit
Pope Francis covered various aspects during his visit, from Christian unity to migration, and democracy.
First, Christian unity. Pope John Paul II was the first to visit Athens after the Great Schism between the Catholic minority and Orthodox Majority in 1054. The primary cause of the Schism was a dispute over papal authority between the eastern church and the Roman Catholic church. After the split, Constantinople was sacked in the fourth crusade of 1204. These events created an anti-papal feeling amongst the hardliners in Greece. Through his visit, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for the mistakes of the Roman Catholic Church and called for Christian unity in the country.
Second, migration. On the second day of his visit to the Island, Pope Francis conducted an open-air mass. He met dozens of migrants who were held as refugees in Cyprus and offered 50 of them a chance to move into Italy. According to EU statistics, in 2020, Cyprus received the highest number of asylum applications than any EU state, primarily due to the Syrian civil war.
Third, democracy. In his speech, the Pope warned that the easy answers of populism and authoritarianism are a threat to European democracy and called for “fresh dedication” to promote the common good over national interests. He suggested that robust multilateralism is a way to address the current issues and protect the environment from pandemics and poverty. He said: “Politics needs this, in order to put common needs ahead of private interests, yet we cannot avoid noting with concern how today, and not only in Europe, we are witnessing a retreat from democracy.”
Internal reaction
The open-air mass witnessed thousands of migrants who were mostly Filipinos working as housekeepers in Cyprus. But in one of the meetings in Athens, the Pope was interrupted by a Greek Orthodox priest who called him a heretic thrice. The Island of Cyprus witnessed minor protests against the Pope by those identifying as Christian Orthodox following this incident.
What does it mean for Europe?
First, the visit of the Pope has brought a spotlight on migrants and refugees in Cyprus. Every year thousands of migrants reach the Island of Lesbos in search of a better life. But it has never got the focus like Belarus and the English Channel did. The Pope highlighted the division in acknowledging the migrant situation in Cyprus emphasizes the EU’s need to step up and bring reforms for the same.
Second, the intensity of the divide between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Catholic has reduced. The previous visit of John Paul II sparked protests across various parts of Greece objecting to the visit. When Pope Francis visited for the first time, he helped a few migrants gain asylum in Rome. This gave hope and confidence amongst the migrant community and, to some extent, even in the minds of Orthodox Christians. This led to reduced protests and opposition in the second visit.
References:
“Pope Francis in Greece highlights plight of migrants and refugees,” Deutsche Welle, 04 December 2021.
“Pope Francis hits out at EU migration divisions on visit to Greece,” France24, 04 December 2021.
“Protesting Orthodox priest heckles Pope on Greece visit,” Independent, 04 December 2021.
Nicole Winfield and Derek Gatopoulos, “In democracy's birthplace, pope warns of populist threats,” The Washington Post, 04 December 2021.
IN BRIEF
By Joeana Cera Matthews and Ashwin Immanuel Dhanabalan
GERMANY
Olaf Scholz becomes German Chancellor
On 08 December, the Bundestag voted in Social Democrat Olaf Scholz as the German Chancellor. Scholz, who was the finance minister in the previous government, is Germany’s ninth postwar chancellor. The parliamentary vote saw the new Chancellor winning a majority of 395 of 736 members’ ballots. He will head a coalition government called the “traffic light” which consists of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP). President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to officially appoint Scholz as Chancellor. He replaced Angela Merkel who had been Chancellor for 16 long years. (Philip Oltermann, “ Olaf Scholz elected to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor,” The Guardian, 08 December 2021; Laurenze Gehrke, “Olaf Scholz elected German Chancellor,” POLITICO, 08 December 2021)
NORTHERN IRELAND
Storm Barra ascends in Northern Ireland
On 07 December, Storm Barra hit Northern Ireland with heavy snow and strong winds. As a result, a yellow warning was issued in Northern Ireland, while a red warning was in place in the South-west of the Republic of Ireland. The storm prompted schools to remain closed as the country was still recovering from Storm Arwen that hit just 10 days ago. Winds recorded 122 kilometres per hour at Orlock, County Down, with sleet and snow covering the west of Northern Ireland. The Irish Farmers’ Association urged its members to take utmost precaution while the Irish Police advised its people to avoid travel in the red and orange zones of warning. About 1,000 homes in Northern Ireland have been without power since the evening of 07 December. The power outage has raised people's concerns regarding the government’s vulnerable policy and management of storms, as they are not uncommon to the region. ("Storm Barra brings strong winds, heavy rain and snow to NI," BBC, 08 December 2021; Mark Brown, "Storm Barra: multiple warnings issued for Ireland and UK,," The Guardian, 06 December 2021)
RUSSIA
President Vladimir Putin's visit to India
On 06 December, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. The bilateral ties were already strained with growing discontentment since India joined the Quad. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke about the displeasure and how the West was "trying to engage India in anti-China games by promoting Indo-Pacific strategies". The visit by Putin comes with Russia delivering the Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems to India that gives it a strategic deterrence to counter China and Pakistan. Apart from the missile systems, there were shared concerns about Afghanistan and how bilateral trade between the two countries could be improved. The leaders have aimed for trade between the two countries to touch USD 30 billion by 2025. In addition, India would give Russia USD one billion in line of credit as a business investment for the Russian far-east region. As Deputy Director at Washington’s Wilson Center think-tank Michael Kugelman said: "As long as trade, defence deals stay relevant, the two nations will find a way to sort out their geopolitics differences." (Vikas Pandey, "Vladimir Putin: What Russian president's India visit means for world politics," BBC, 06 December 2021; Dmitry Trenin, "Russia-India: From Rethink to Adjust to Upgrade," The Moscow Times, 06 December 2021)
COVID-19
WHO’s Kluge states vaccination mandate to be “last resort” for Europeans
On 06 December, the WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Kluge said that mandating vaccines should be the final option for curbing the pandemic. HE said: “Mandates around vaccination are an absolute last resort and only applicable when all other feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted.” A few countries across Europe started mandatory vaccination goals for 2022 after the EU Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen urged countries to consider the same. Governments imposed renewed measures to encourage unvaccinated people to get inoculated. To access cinemas, people in Italy would need a super health pass proving their vaccination or recovery against the virus. At the same time, unvaccinated Germans are restricted from public life. Dr Kluge discouraged the use of mandatory inoculations as a way of "discriminating between vaccinated and unvaccinated". The new Omicron variant is a reason for concern. As the WHO official, Mr Lindmeier said: “Let’s not get deterred right now, let us first get as much information as possible to make the correct risk assessment based on the information that we will have and then let’s move on,”. (Lauren Chadwick, "COVID in Europe: Mandatory vaccination should be a last resort, says Dr Hans Kluge," Euronews, 07 December 2021; Ashleigh Furlong, "WHO cautions against mandatory vaccination," POLITICO, 07 December 2021)
MIGRATION
Polish Foreign Minister condemns Belarus on “destabilizing” borders
On 07 December, Deutsche Welle published an article wherein the Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau condemned Belarus for “destabilizing” the border. He said: “Obviously it’s not a migratory crisis, it’s a political crisis purposefully launched by (Belarusian strongman Alexander) Lukashenko… You have to keep in mind that the migrants were first brought to Minsk by Belarusian authorities where they were instructed, some of them even trained how to behave at the border, how to cross it, certainly illegally, and how to deal with the police, border guards and so on.” Rau believes that the border standoff needs to be seen in relation to the military buildup at the Ukrainian borders and said: “We have to acknowledge the right of Ukrainians to defend themselves. We will support them the way they ask for.” (Konstantin Eggert and Roman Goncharenko, “Polish FM advocates 'most severe' sanctions against Belarus,” Deutsche Welle, 07 December 2021)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CAHAI to create world’s first treaty on AI
On 08 December, POLITICO reported the Council of Europe’s Ad hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI) to have suggested a legally binding treaty on artificial intelligence (AI). The CAHAI’s sixth and final plenary meeting released recommendations after the meeting held from 30 November to 02 December. It said: “Possible elements of a legal framework on artificial intelligence, based on the Council of Europe’s standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.” The recommendations include various aspects of AI such as impact assessments, risk classifications, protection for whistleblowers, as well as AI development principles. The document is expected to be reviewed by the Committee of Ministers in February while negotiations on the same will begin by May; the ratification of the document is predicted for 2024. (“The CAHAI held its 6th and final plenary meeting,” Council of Europe Portal, 02 December 2021; Melissa Heikkila, “AI: Decoded: The world's first AI treaty - Timnit Gebru's new gig - The European Parliament starts work on the AI Act,” POLITICO, 08 December 2021)
INTERNATIONAL
Biden-Putin virtual summit sees slow progress
On 07 December, US President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin via a virtual conference in an effort to de-escalate tensions along the Ukrainian borders. During the conference, the respective ambassadors were asked to maintain contact in order to make progress with regard to the border standoff. The virtual summit lasted for about two hours. Before the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “Russia isn’t going to attack anyone, but we have our own concerns and our own red lines. (Putin) has made them clear.” After the summit, the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan commented: “The discussion between President Biden and President Putin was direct and straightforward. There was a lot of giving and take, there was no finger-wagging. But the president was crystal clear about where the United States stands on all of these issues.” (Julian Borger and Andrew Roth, “Biden and Putin make little apparent headway on Ukraine in the virtual summit,” The Guardian, 07 December 2021)
One of the suspects in Jamal Khashoggi's murder arrested
On 07 December, French authorities at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris arrested Khaled Aedh Alotaib, a suspect involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Alotaib, a former member of the Saudi royal guard, travelled to Riyadh under his own name when he was caught and taken into custody by the police in Paris. The arrest came two days after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Saudi Arabia. Interpol put the suspects on a red list for killing the former Washington Post journalist Khashoggi, while Turkey issued warrants for their arrests in March 2019. Alotaib was part of a rogue operation, speculated to have been sent by the Saudi government "to persuade him to return to the kingdom". Instead, Khashoggi was injected with a drug that resulted in an overdose. His body was dismembered and never found. Since Khashoggi was murdered in Turkey, the suspect will be extradited to Turkey for the criminal proceedings against him. ("Jamal Khashoggi: Suspect in murder of journalist arrested in Paris," BBC, 08 December 2021; Lukas Kotkamp, "Suspect in Jamal Khashoggi murder arrested in Paris," POLITICO, 07 December 2021)