A more fruitful way of engaging the other

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It was painful watching Pope Francis walk down all those stairs from the airplane, after landing in Iraq the other day. He had one hand on the railing, but I wanted someone on the other side of him holding his arm. The man is 84 years old and wasn’t well recently. The Vatican said it was a common cold, but there were worries it might be COVID, and some were concerned we weren’t getting the whole story. This was also his first traveling venture since the beginning of the pandemic. What’s so critical about traveling to a Muslim country now that he should ignore the health risks?

Some say he felt called to travel there to encourage the Christian community in Iraq, decimated over the last several years by groups like ISIS. Christians numbered about 1.5 million in the 1990s but are closer to 250,000 today. Others suggest the primary purpose was inter-faith dialogue, as Francis met with the senior Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani and he addressed a religiously diverse group at Ur. Jews, Muslims and Christians all recognize Ur as the site of Abraham’s birth and all recognize Abraham as their forefather, cousins as they are.

Whatever the primary reason for the visit, there were two statements Francis made that were reason enough for me. One was a statement about war and peace. “May the clash of arms be silenced. May their spread be curbed here and everywhere. May the voice of builders and peacemakers find a hearing! The voice of the humble, the poor, the ordinary men and women who want to live, work and pray in peace.” 

That must certainly be a fervent prayer for all people of faith, Muslim, Christian or Jew.  

And then he made the statement that struck me the most. Francis said he came as a “penitent.” He came to beg heavenly forgiveness for the destruction and cruelty the country had experienced in the years since the U.S. invasion and the rise of ISIS. He was “repenting” for any way he (or perhaps the sheep of his fold) might have contributed to this sin, and seeking forgiveness.

I hesitate to even mention it, it is so unlikely to appear ridiculous. But what if President Biden traveled to Iraq, penitent, to apologize for our unnecessary invasion and all the accompanying death and destruction. Or what if he traveled to Iran, penitent, for our historically troublesome relationship, remembering the way we installed the Shah and imposed sanctions destructive to their economy and the lives of their people.

Impossible? Political repentance is weakness, they say. Admit no mistakes! Blame the other! Bomb them! Peace through strength!

There was a poster hanging on my wall back during the Vietnam war. It read, “What we do overseas comes back home.” The picture was of police beating anti-war protestors. Hatred begets hatred. Violence begets violence. And today, armored vehicles are in our streets, and the military is in, and out, of the “People’s House!”

Being a “penitent” is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of integrity and interior strength. Every day conflicts are mitigated when someone says “I’m sorry.”

You can access a film of Pope Francis washing the feet of 12 prisoners during Holy Week of 2018. This is the most powerful person in the Roman Catholic Church. He is kneeling, washing feet and then kissing them!

At the risk of seeming ridiculous, this coming Holy Week I challenge any Democratic senator to choose 12 Republican senators and wash their feet. They don’t even have to kiss them. Just wash them. Just demonstrate some humility and a sense of penitence for always demonizing the other. But this is not just for Democrats. This is for John and Mike and Dusty, too. Which 12 Democrats will you choose?

Or let’s be a little more realistic. Forget the foot washing. Instead of always blaming the other party, just choose one rival person to communicate with in a town hall. Invite the community, all persuasions welcome, and debate the issues searching for common ground. Start demonstrating that people of good will can work toward a common goal; with effort and integrity; with a willingness to listen and hear the other side; with a commitment to compromise and a search for the common good. Even now when there are bipartisan efforts, it’s usually behind closed doors, not for public consumption.

Most Americans are weary of all the blaming, as politicians sling mean spirited arrows at the other party, at the same time they call for healing, and working together.

Admit you were wrong! Praise someone in the other party! Apologize! Be penitent! Demonstrate some integrity! I can’t think of anything that would make someone more electable in the present political atmosphere.

Thank you, Francis! May your penitence help the cause of peace and demonstrate a more fruitful way of engaging the other.