On 9th January, Pope Leo condemned the application of military strength as a tool of pursuing diplomatic ends with an unusually angry annual foreign policy speech, where he also demanded that human rights be respected in Venezuela.
The first U.S. pope Leo mentioned that the “weakness of the international organizations” amidst conflicts in the world was an issue that was a point of concern.
“A diplomacy that encourages dialogue and tries to reach consensus with all the parties involved is being substituted with a diplomacy of force,” Leo told some 184 ambassadors accredited to the Vatican.
LEO SAYS TAKE THE WILL OF VENEZUELANS
Thus, speaking about the capture of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. forces at the demands of President Donald Trump last weekend, the pope urged once again the world governments to respect the will of the Venezuelan people in the future.
“The countries should protect the human and civil rights of the Venezuelans,” Leo added.
These remarks by Leo were included in an address that is also known as the Pope’s State of the World speech. This was the first that was administered by Leo, who replaced Pope Francis on his demise.
The U.S and Venezuelan ambassadors of the Holy See were also present during the event.
Leo, who was a U.S. Cardinal, Robert Prevost, was a decades-long missionary in Peru and then became pope. He has already denounced some of Trump’s policies, specifically on immigration, but did not mention the U.S. president in his Friday speech.
Leo had been more subdued, diplomatic in the first eight months of his papacy than his predecessor, Francis, who frequently made the headlines with off-the-record remarks.
LEO USES A MORE FIERY TONE
In the 43 minutes of the address on Friday, Leo was more incendiary, not only in strongly denouncing the wars that are known around the world, but also in launching an attack on the activities of abortion, euthanasia, and surrogate births.
Leo further warned in similarly stern words not only against freedom of expression, but also stated that the freedom of expression was being rapidly reduced in Western nations.
He said that a new Orwellian-style language is being formed that, in a bid to be more inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not abide by the ideologies that are driving it.
Another criticism directed at the pope was the “religious discrimination” that was also experienced by Christians in Europe and throughout the Americas, albeit in a subtle form.
