NgoJulayi 4, uPapa uFrancis wamemezela ukuthi uhlose ukuvakashela eMoscow naseKyiv ngokushesha okukhulu. Inhloko yeVatican ihlezi ikhuluma noMongameli wase-Ukraine uZelensky kodwa ingathanda ukuvakashela uPutin ngaphambi kokubhekisa amabombo ngaseKyiv. Ukholelwa ukuthi angase abe yi-ejenti engathathi hlangothi engakholisa uPutin ukuthi aqede impi.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi lomugqa, eMoscow, kukhona ukusabela okuhlukile kulo mbono. Emnyangweni Wezindaba Zangaphandle WaseRussia, abaningi bavumelana nokuvakashelwa okunjalo. Ngisho nasezikhundleni zokuphatha zikaMongameli, ukusabela kuhle, futhi basibheka kahle lesi siphakamiso esiyimpikiswano. Kodwa akunjalo ngaphakathi kwe-FSB namasosha. Lapho, kungenye indaba, futhi ukungenelela kukaFrancis kubukwa okungenani izinsolo futhi ngokuvamile ngokungabaza okuphelele.
Umlingisi oyinhloko walesi sinyathelo sezombusazwe uyinhloko ye-World Union of Old Believers Leonid Sevastianov. USevastianov unokufinyelela kuPapa futhi ubhekwa kakhulu nguye, futhi nguyena uPontiff oPhakeme angamlalela uma kuziwa eRussia. Nguye futhi onxenxa abaphathi bakaMongameli eRussia, eqhubekisela phambili umbono wokuthi iVatican iwukuphela koMbuso “ongathathi hlangothi” futhi kuwukuphela kwawo osesikhundleni sokuba umlamuleli wangempela. ULeonid Sevastianov ungumKristu oqinile, okholelwa ngokuqinile ukuthi umsebenzi wakhe ongokomoya uwukwenza konke okusemandleni akhe ukuqeda impi.
Kodwa ukuphikiswa okushubile kuvela eSontweni Lobu-Orthodox LaseRussia (ROC) UPatriarch Kirill waseMoscow. UKirill ungumsekeli onamandla wempi, futhi iyakuthethelela, njengabaholi benkolo abambalwa eRussia, ngesidingo sokuvikela izwe lobuKristu eNtshonalanga ewohlokayo elonakaliswe amahlelo namaqaba, umlayezo owamukelwa yi-Kremlin. Ukwesaba kwakhe okukhulu ukubona uPapa engena “endaweni” yakhe, eshumayela ukuthula. Ngisho nangaphambi kwempi, uKirill wamelana nokufika kwenhloko yeVatican, futhi isizathu sabe sesicacile: UKirill akabhekwanga kahle ngamakholwa, futhi akaheheli noyedwa (noma abambalwa kakhulu) lapho evela obala. Uma uPapa uFrancis engeza eRussia, kungenzeka ukuthi uheha izinkulungwane zamaKrestu ukuthi zizombingelela, nokuyinto engadicilela phansi isithunzi sikaKirill ezweni.
Ngakho-ke u-Kirill uvula inethiwekhi yakhe ngemuva kwesigcawu ukuze avimbele u-Sevastianov ukuthi aphumelele, okungenayo ingozi kulokhu. UKirill uyi-ejenti yangaphambili ye-KGB futhi akahlehli kumaqhinga angcolile ukuze afinyelele imigomo yakhe. Sevastianov, empeleni owayenguzakwabo kaKirill, futhi wasebenza iminyaka engumqondisi we-St. Gregory Theology's Charity Foundation, i-Orthodox Foundation enkulu kunazo zonke eMoscow eyasungulwa nguKirill noMetropolitan Hilarion, usanda kumemezela ukuthi ukusekelwa kwe UMbhishobhi Wasempini WaseMoscow wayezobhekwa njengembuka, ngokombono ongokwenkolo. Akusona isitatimende esinamahloni leso.
U-Hilarion ngokwakhe, owayebhekwa njengonombolo-2 we-ROC futhi engusihlalo woMnyango Wezobudlelwane Bangaphandle Besonto Lesifunda Sobubhishobhi SaseMoscow, usanda kwehliswa esikhundleni futhi wathunyelwa kusibhishobhi esincane saseHungary. Akukho ukuchazwa okucacile kwalokhu kwehla: abanye bathi u-Hilarion wayephikisana nempi futhi wajeziswa ngalokho. Abanye bathi uKirill umbone njengosongo njengoba ebesethubeni lokumthatha esikhundleni sakhe njengoMbhishobhi, kanti abanye bathi ukumenza abe sesimweni esingcono sokunxenxa i-ROC endaweni yamazwe omhlaba ngemuva kokuthi uKirill egunyazwe yinhlangano. I-UK, futhi yakugwema ngokulambisa unswinyo lwe-EU ngenxa yokungenelela ngomzuzu wokugcina kukaViktor Orban, uNdunankulu waseHungary.
Noma kunjalo, uma i-diplomacy kaSevastianov iyingozi kuye, nayo iqinile. USevastianov ubelokhu ephokophela kusukela ngoFebhuwari, wathola ukwesekwa nguPontiff ophakeme futhi manje uthuthuka eMoscow. Yiqiniso, ngisho noma engaphumelela ukuthola uFrancis eMoscow, umbuzo omkhulu uwukuthi ingabe kuzoba nomthelela kuVladimir Putin? Umlando uzokutshela.
