Auteur: S.E.M. Emmanuel GOÛT
Executive summary: The tension between spirituality and temporality, illuminated by the pontificate of Francis and the succession of Leo XIV, shows a geopolitics in which the religious is instrumentalized by politics, while spirituality, embodied by Francis, proposes an ununderstood alternative path. His positions on the war in Ukraine, interpreted as capitulations, and on migrants, colliding with identity anxieties, illustrate this gap. This contradiction is rooted in the history of the Church since Constantine, Francis breaking with his predecessors by a daily spiritual quest. It is true in the current conflicts, from the nationalist Orthodox Churches in Ukraine to the “de-spiritualization” of Jewish mysticism through the creation of Israel, or in the political recovery of European “Jewish-Christian roots”. The succession of Leo XIV appears as an evolutionary continuity to maintain this orientation, but contemporary returns to the religious are more of a quest for temporal identity than a genuine spirituality.
Keywords: Spirituality, Temporality, Geopolitics, Pope, Francis, Leo XIV, Christianity, Church, Political Instrumentation, Ukraine, Migrants, Palestine, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Vatican.
Abstract: The tension between spirituality and temporality, illuminated by the pontificate of Francis and the succession of Leo XIV, reveals a geopolitics where religion is instrumentalized by politics, while spirituality, embodied by Francis, offers a misunderstood alternative path. His positions on the war in Ukraine, interpreted as capitulations, and on migrants, clashing with anxieties about identity, illustrate this divide. This contradiction is rooted in the history of the Church since Constantine, with Francis breaking with his predecessors through a daily spiritual quest. It is evident in current conflicts, from nationalist Orthodox churches in Ukraine to the “de-spiritualization” of Jewish mysticism through the creation of Israel, or even in the political appropriation of European “Judeo-Christian roots.” The succession of Leo XIV appears as an evolutionary continuation of this orientation, but contemporary returns to religion stem more from temporal identity quests than from genuine spirituality.
Keywords: Spirituality, Temporality, Geopolitics, Pope, Francis, Leo XIV, Christianity, Church, Political instrumentalization, Ukraine, Migrants, Palestine, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Vatican.