The Vatican – The Unnecessary Institution and Progressivism and Its Attitude to Israel
Albert, your faithful servant, has limited patience for inquisitors in fancy suits
When the Pope Discovers Progressivism
There are institutions in the world that just hearing their name makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time – the Vatican, for example. Ostensibly, a holy fortress in the center of Rome, surrounded by walls and Swiss Guards in circus suits. In reality, it is an institution with a 2,000-year-old theocratic monarchy, which is ahead of the health insurance fund in its ability to survive any scandal, and which in recent years has insisted on proving that it is possible to be both progressive and old-fashioned at the same time.
If you think about it, there is no other place in the world where people in white coats make moral decisions for billions of people, and in the same breath explain to us – the Jews – how to conduct our affairs in the Land of Israel. After all, it is like receiving a lecture on veganism from a steakhouse chef.
A Brief History of Love-Hate: Jews as Permanent Subscribers in the Anti-Semitic Bloc
Even before the term “fake news” was invented, the Catholic Church specialized in spreading lies about the Jewish people – from the murder of Jesus to packages of matzah poisoned with the blood of Christian children. At one time, if you were a Jew looking for a home in Europe, the medical recommendation was: “Keep a distance of at least five kilometers from the cross nearest your house.”
True, since World War II the Vatican has tried to show that it has changed – popes ask for forgiveness, Christian delegations visit Yad Vashem, moving photos with ultra-Orthodox rabbis at the Western Wall. But in practice, whenever the international situation heats up and anti-Semitism rears its head – the Vatican tends to recall its old roots. You won’t find them strongly condemning the massacre of Jews in Paris, but they will certainly make sure to warn Israel when it responds to rocket fire from Gaza.
The Vatican in the Woke Age: A Church on TikTok
One of the funniest – or saddest – things is watching the Church try to reinvent itself in the Woke Age. As if someone in Rome decided that if they adopted pride flags and posted about climate rights, all the sins of the Inquisition would be erased.
But there’s a problem: When you try to be both a conservative institution that believes in the eternity of tradition and a progressive influencer on Instagram – you mostly come across as confused. For example, Pope Francis often talks about “world peace” and “concern for immigrants,” but for some reason tends to forget to mention the right of the Jewish people to their own state. It turns out that when it comes to Israel, the humanist agenda stops at the gates of Jerusalem.
Vatican Diplomacy: Embracing Everyone – Except Us
The Vatican maintains diplomatic relations with almost every country in the world, including some particularly dark regimes. If the Republic of the Ayatollahs of Mars were established tomorrow, it is safe to assume that the Pope would already be on the way there to congratulate it for its “contribution to peace.”
In contrast, relations with Israel always come a few decades late and with a drizzle of moral reprimands. Even when the Vatican officially recognizes the State of Israel, there will always be a senior church representative who will remind us that “the rights of the Palestinians in Jerusalem must be protected” – because there is nothing like a moral lesson from those who invented the Crusades.
Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century: Same Flavor, New Packaging
The problem is not just historical. Today, in an era of digital anti-Semitism and modern caricatures of “greedy Jew with a bank app,” the Vatican could have led the fight. Instead, it often sides with the BDS discourse and pro-Palestinian organizations.
On the surface, this looks like humanism; in reality, it’s the same old anti-Semitism – just wrapped in the language of “human rights.” After all, it’s easy to blame the Jewish state for defending itself, especially if it allows it to present a glittering progressiveness to the world without paying a real price.
An institution unnecessary in the modern century?
When the world is dealing with Islamic terrorism, climate crises, and nuclear dictators, it’s a bit hard to understand the role of a mini-state the size of the Kiryat Yuval neighborhood that holds commemorative coins and traditional costumes. If the Vatican was once a real center of power, today it’s mostly a tourist photo spot and souvenir shop with missionary work on the side.
In a way, the Vatican has become one of the oldest institutions to survive the age of rationality – not because of relevance but because of nostalgia, colorful rituals, and a tradition that never died, even when it’s ridiculous.
The moral farce of the Vatican
Compassion Begins at Home – But It Stays There
The current Pope delivers fiery speeches about social justice, compassion for the poor and love for every human being – but for some reason, when it comes to dealing with the abuse scandals of priests in his church, suddenly the voice changes to a gentle whisper. Moral laws are required by the nations of the world, but the institution that is supposed to serve as a moral beacon fails to light a single light bulb in its dark corridors. It’s a bit like a finance minister preaching to the public to save while he himself is living in perpetual overdraft.
Sweeping Under the Cloak
The Vatican has spent centuries developing the art of ceremony, incense, and rosary singing, but at the same time it has also developed a less glamorous specialty – sweeping. It is not about cleaning the palace, but about being able to sweep under the rug every disturbing report, victim testimony, or suspicious bank account of a senior bishop. Instead of admitting moral failure and implementing painful reforms, they prefer to organize another solemn procession with incense and pray that the media forget.
Morality on one leg – on the crutches of hypocrisy
There is no greater irony than the sight of an institution that preaches to the world about modesty, justice, and morality, while it fights tooth and nail to protect the fat pensions of priests it itself has found guilty of serious offenses. Instead of turning the church into a clean and bright house, they choose to slide along the legal defense lines as if they were a moral skating rink. But why bother, when you can simply give a conciliatory speech and rely on the audience’s short memory?
A revolution of love – outwardly only
The Vatican likes to talk about a “revolution of love” and a “spirit of renewal,” but this revolution has apparently not reached the inner corridors, where the same stifling hierarchy, the same dark secrecy, and the same preference for washing their hands of the media rather than cleaning up the mess at the root continue. Outside – a rainbow; inside – medieval moss.
Bottom line: If an institution that preaches to humanity about sins is unable to clean its own house, it is time for it to do less posts about compassion and more actions with an accounting keyboard and police investigators.
And then … in a sharp transition to the latest farce
October 2025 – Two years after Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel
Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, harshly criticizes the war in Gaza.
And maybe Israel should learn something from the Vatican too?
First, patience. It’s hard to last 2,000 years without knowing how to ignore reality. Second, branding. Admit it, there’s nothing like a Swiss Guard in a funny uniform to add a touch of ceremonial glam to an event.
But most of all, Israel needs to stop waiting for applause from the Vatican. If Jews have been persecuted in its name for centuries, it’s unlikely that this institution will become the overnight defender of Zionist interests.
Instead, we should continue to raise an eyebrow – and also raise a glass of quality Israeli wine – that in 2025 there are still those who think that hundreds of men in ceremonial robes in Rome know better what is right for the Jewish people.
The Eternal People Are Not Afraid of Crusades
Perhaps it’s time to let go: The Vatican isn’t going to disappear tomorrow morning, but it doesn’t really matter much in the 21st century either. Israel can continue to thrive even without the Pope’s blessing.
In the meantime, as the Western world succumbs to new waves of anti-Semitism in the guise of “social justice,” Israel needs to remember that the real power lies with it – not in Rome. After all, we were here before Constantine and we will continue to be here even after the Vatican finds another app to market its sermons.
So save the wine of the Kiddush, save Jerusalem, and let the Vatican continue to find its way between tradition and TikTok.
הירשמו כדי לקבל את הפוסטים האחרונים אל המייל שלכם
