Maria Corina Machado, symbol of Venezuelans’ resistance to the tyranny of Maduro’s collapsing dictatorial government arrived at the Apostolic Palace on Monday for a visit with Pope Leo XIV.

A week is a lifetime, if your interest lies in staying on the good side of the President of the United States of America, a man whose reign seems to span a decade in a day: the unblinking leader of a unique blend of loyalty, whose whims defy all protocols, who abandons multilateral arrangements, who breaks political and geographical boundaries with relish. A historian’s puzzle, a man who routinely snubs the elite club of former and present Presidents and Vice Presidents, so he won’t have to play by their rules. A law unto himself, one whose every act is geared only to one interest- that of Donald J. Trump.

From Vice President Mike Pence, to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, from Chief of Staff to Chief of Press, the water you carry for him may soon land you in hot soup with him. He makes and wrecks careers with the speed of light. That is why foes of yesterday turn quickly into allies of today. Ask Ted Cruz, ask Mark Rubio, ask J.D. Vance. Who can be against you, if Trump is for you.  Allies take allegiance for granted at their own peril, and that is why they go to sleep with both eyes open.

Machado has probably done all that is humanly possible to massage the ego of The Don. If she ever found out that too much is never enough, it may have taken too long a time. Recent political expediency is rooted in the understanding that one with Trump is a majority. From her time in hiding in Venezuela, through the lead to the Nobel Prize, her escape to freedom, and the eventual collapse of Maduro, Machado’s gratitude and praise of Trump have been unhidden.

Machado credited Trump for her winning the Peace Prize; offered to present it to him, to share it with him. He considered accepting the Medal from her. For her efforts, Trump did not consider her fit to lead a Venezuela liberated from Maduro stating, “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”

Facing an upcoming visit to Washington, Machado went to Rome seeking the Face of God. By the time you are reading this piece, Machado must have faced her mentor.

Modern papacy is in itself a news machine; an unlimited source and a timeless consumer. In life and in death, the Pope is a subject of endless reporting, endless analysis, endless speculation, and endless scrutiny. That is why he is not only a consummate source of knowledge, he is also to be a voracious consumer of knowledge.

Pope Leo XIV is reportedly a previous if not frequent visitor to Nigeria in his earlier life as an Augustinian Priest and Superior. If he did not encounter a certain man, he may have heard of his name. The man Olusegun Obasanjo, was the possessor of immense authority and a victim of merciless scrutiny. He has played many roles on the stage of life; soldier, farmer, politician and statesman. Known for saying his mind, no matter who is hurt or pleased, the landowner at Ota, once referred to a then recently deceased individual in unflattering terms. Asked how he would feel if at his death, he was so disparaged, he replied that it would make no difference as he was already being disparaged in life.

 

If Pope Francis, the predecessor of Pope Leo XIV is beyond being disparaged, the holy man is not beyond being disagreed with. A good number disagreed with him in his lifetime, including some in his close sphere of authority. If you need being reminded, then think about the former Nuncio, Carlo Mario Vigano, who was excommunicated;  Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler who was removed; and the Dubia Cardinals who were tolerated. More would do so after his death. If he did not know in his life, Pope Francis in death must have learnt so in the week that has just ended. Pope Leo XIV is also learning.

 

Their teacher is ninety-three-year-old Cardinal Zen, their classroom, the recent Special Consistory.

Read, if you care.

 

 

Ayo Fasoro

Non Sum Dignus