The UN, WTO, WHO, the COP, multilateral institutions on which the world relied, the collective scaffolding intended to build a secure, peaceful, international order, we can rely on no longer. Three superpowers led by autocratic rulers, China, Russia and the USA, for whom in Hannah Arendt’s words “the distinction between fact and fiction no longer holds”, rule a divided world where Might is Right. Both theologically and geopolitically we urgently need a plan.
“ We aim to be both principled and pragmatic, principled in our commitment to fundamental values, sovereignty, territorial integrity, the prohibition of the use of force, except when consistent with the UN Charter, and respect for human rights, and pragmatic recognizing that progress is often incremental, that interests diverge, that not every partner will share all of our values”. It – unusually – received a standing ovation.
What does “principled and pragmatic” look like theologically? Well, the covenant promises between God and humanity, and for that reason between people in shared action for the common good. Christian hope is confidence in God’s New Testament promises for the future, providing the purpose and endurance for a long road ahead.
Politics is about the promises we make to each other. In The Human Condition 1958, Hannah Arendt presents these as our hedge against unpredictability, creating “communities of security”. The promise of love and compassion provides the glue that will hold the communities together. Pope Benedict XVI in his magisterial Caritas in Veritate 2009 wrote: “Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first, teaching us through the Son what fraternal charity is.”
Christian forgiveness – counter-intuitively – might be called pragmatic. Demonstrated by the French priests who went into Bergen-Belsen after the Second World War, they refused to discriminate against Germans in their charitable work. It formed the basis of a reconciled Europe that could co-operate between nations and build strong societies. Trying to heal the wounds of apartheid, it motivated South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is needed, alongside justice, to rediscover the fraternity, the friendships, that Benedict wrote about in a divided world.
Professor Ian Linden