by Victor Gaetan*
Caracas/Panama – The U.S. military operation in Venezuela last week targeting President Nicolás Maduro Moros reminds us of a similar American maneuver 36 years ago, which put a dramatic spotlight on Vatican diplomacy and how Holy See decision-making differs from secular calculations.
Target: One man
On December 20, 1989, U.S. president George H.W. Bush ordered 27,500 soldiers to swarm Panama, topple the government, and arrest Manuel Noriega, a military dictator accused of cocaine trafficking, money laundering, and anti-democratic activity—charges similar to the ones Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, currently face.
In 1989, although the official estimate of fatalities was 500-560 Panamanian deaths and 23 American casualties, local sources concluded up to 4,000 people died in the conflict with damages of over $2 billion USD.
Noriega narrowly escaped capture, but he had a one-million-dollar bounty on his head. With American troops turning the capital city inside out to find him, and his family in hiding, where did the dictator turn? On Christmas Eve, he called the Vatican nuncio, Archbishop José Sebastián Laboa Gallego, requesting immediate asylum in the Holy See’s embassy.
Although Noriega was no friend to the Church, in fact he had harassed Laboa personally, but the nuncio acted quickly to avoid violence. He gave sanctuary to the dictator and several staffers.
US troops soon surrounded the nunciature and helicopters hovered overhead, yet diplomatic immunity protected everyone inside, including the fugitives.
The Holy See was not impressed by the American show of force and considered the invasion of Panama a violation of international law.
Sovereignty
Territorial sovereignty is a core concept for the inter-state system. The Holy See would not turn Noriega over to what its top diplomats termed “the occupying power” without Noriega’s own agreement.
The nuncio said he assured Noriega he could stay: “I told him up to the last minute: ‘You can stay here. We will never throw you out.’” At first, the US secretary of state tried to pressure the Holy See to hand Noriega over, asserting that as a criminal, he had no right to sanctuary. But the Holy See’s position that the US violated international law by invading Panama argued that Noriega could not be handed over to the U.S. involuntarily.
Similarly, when Pope Leo XIV evoked Venezuela in his January 4 Angelus prayer, he elevated
“safeguarding the country’s sovereignty.” The Holy See, as a sovereign itself, embedded in the international system of nation states defends this world order, which the US violates whether in 1989 in Panama, 2003 in Iraq, or 2026 in Venezuela.
The Holy See’s sovereignty was made explicit in the 1929 Lateran Treaty; it is a form of protection for the Holy See’s independence. Therefore, the Pope and his diplomats are strong defenders of this international rule of law concept.
Neutrality & pastoral care
Another value upheld by the Holy See during the Panama standoff was impartiality.
The Holy See takes no sides in political disputes and works to preserve its neutrality. The nuncio remained equidistant vis-à-vis his local interlocutors: Manuel Noriega and his small band, the new Panamanian authorities, and the US government.
What did Noriega do at the nunciature for a week and a half, while American forces blared rock music at the building and flashed klieg lights into windows? He slept, read, and attended Mass.
The nuncio’s main weapon with his unexpected guest was verbal persuasion. Laboa had long discussions with Noriega about his options. He war-gamed potential scenarios with him and helped him see the best way to move forward. He also actively ministered to the man, preaching homilies as well as reminding Noriega about Christian virtues.
Basically, Laboa pastored the fugitive, while remaining in constant touch with Rome. This is a key thing to understand about the Catholic Church’s way of interacting with foreign leaders. They are seen as human beings: both sinful, as we all are, and capable of redemption, as we all are. As well, the individual and his or her dignity are centered in any situational analysis. A human being is never expendable.
Endgame
In the end, the general gave in. It happened on a day when thousands of anti-Noriega Panamanians demonstrated outside the gates—a scenario, the nuncio explained to Noriega, that could lead to a mob swarming the compound, giving the Americans an excuse to strike.
At morning Mass, with the general sitting in the last pew , Laboa gave a homily on how loyalties shift but God is constant. Noriega took Communion.
A few hours later, the dictator put on his uniform and told the nuncio he was ready to go. He asked to keep his Bible. He walked with three priests across the nunciature’s front yard to the front gate, where he surrendered. Noriega’s bloodless surrender ended the immediate crisis. The US, at the Holy See’s request, agreed to spare Noriega the dead penalty, a promise kept.
Laboa masterfully served the individual and managed a high-conflict situation without violence, which the Church abhors.
No to violence
We see these themes in Leo’s Angelus remarks, as he prayed, “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration and lead us to overcome violence…”
Further, the Venezuelan bishops conference mourned the loss of individual life when American soldiers seized Maduro—a sorrow few others expressed. The bishops wrote, “We stand in solidarity with those who were injured and the families of those who died. Let us persevere in prayer for the unity of our people.”
The Holy See has excellent information sources in Venezuela. Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin served as nuncio there from 2009 to 2013 when he returned to Rome to serve as the Vatican’s top diplomat.
The current nuncio, Spanish-born Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martín, has been in Venezuela for over a year. He is experienced and savvy, having served as nuncio in Jordan, Iraq, and Chile. Last July, Archbishop Ortega is credited with helping free an American priest detained by the government. So, he is a doer, capable of engaging with the powers still in place.
Diplomats of the Holy See, under papal direction, are discrete. We can have faith that, as Archbishop Laboa did 36 years ago, they assiduously seek God’s way through complex international conflict in Venezuela.
*Victor Gaetan is a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Register, focusing on international issues. He also writes for Foreign Affairs magazine and contributed to Catholic News Service. He is the author of the book God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon published in paperback in July 2023. Visit his website at VictorGaetan.org
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.