This year which is coming to a close is special in a particular way. A few weeks ago we commemorated President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. A few months before that, Pope John XXIII had died of cancer. The lives of these two men were intertwined at least on one very special event, the Cuba missile crisis.
Another important player was the Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, who died in 1971 but who was removed from his job only a year after the death of the other two.
Now, as the year is coming to its end, Nelson Mandela has died.
I believe that these men – including Khrushchev, despite his having participated in the Stalin purges – can all be called ‘men of peace’.
Mandela’s story is well known. He became involved in the fight for the democratic rights of the blacks against apartheid in South Africa. This cost him 27 years in prison until the South African government lifted the ban on the African National Congress, and negotiations led to the end of apartheid, free elections, and Mandela being elected President.
He saw his mission as that of uniting all the people of South Africa. F. W. De Klerk, the former President, was extremely impressed by Mandela’s lack of bitterness even after having gone through so much suffering.
As President, Mandela took it to himself to rebuild a united nation. He did this through forgiveness and reconciliation, the Christian virtues par excellence.
Fifty years ago, the Cuban missile crisis was serious matter indeed. The US had placed nuclear missiles aimed at Moscow in Turkey and the Soviet Union intended to place nuclear missiles in Cuba aimed at the US. However, both Kennedy and Khrushchev were aware of what could happen if they persisted.
At this point, Pope John XXIII came to the rescue. After having consulted both with the Americans and the Russians, Pope John read his famous peace message on Vatican Radio: “We beg all governments not to remain deaf to this cry of humanity. That they do all that is in their power to save peace. …That they continue discussions… Promoting, favouring, accepting conversations, at all levels and in any time, is a rule of wisdom and prudence…”
His message did not fall on deaf ears. A face-saving solution was found and nuclear war was averted. However, all this did not come about as a miracle. Kennedy and Khrushchev had already been communicating with each other, often in secret, despite the fact that both were surrounded by hawks who wanted them to act differently.
On September 29, 1961, Khrushchev wrote a letter to Kennedy, comparing his and the US President’s situation with Noah’s Ark: “In Noah’s Ark both the ‘clean’ and the ‘unclean’ found sanctuary. But regardless of who lists himself with the ‘clean’ and who is considered to be ‘unclean’, they are all equally interested in one thing, and that is that the Ark should successfully continue its cruise.
Kennedy replied on October 16: “I like very much your analogy of Noah’s Ark, with both the ‘clean’ and the ‘unclean’ determined that it stay afloat.”
As a result of the newly found trust between the two leaders, communication between them increased. Khrushchev also urged Fidel Castro to communicate with Kennedy and this too began to happen.
This is what happens when people, and especially leaders, do not have what the Gospel calls skleurokardia or ‘hardness of heart’.
They start seeing the issues through the eyes of their opponent, thus widening their vision. They understand that their duty is not to defeat their opponent but to build a more peaceful world. They believe that if an issue is reduced to a win-lose contest, in the end, all will be losers. Great minds!
Forgiveness, reconciliation, respect, working for peace… This is the way of the Gospel. Blessed are the peacemakers!
What a lesson for our local politicians and their tendency to polarise every issue! Are they honestly seeking the good of the people or simply to topple their opponents? What a difference if they were to follow the lead of these great men!
alfred.j.micallef@um.edu.mt
Fr Alfred Micallef is a member of the Society of Jesus.