The Vatican and the Theology of the World’s Periphery

The article examines the Vatican’s diplomatic activity in the Eurasian and Asian regions, encompassing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Mongolia. This growing engagement reflects the Catholic Church’s reorientation toward the Global South and coincides with the broader struggle for influence in that region amid the slow and gradual decentralization of the world order. The success of globalist forces in this struggle could slow the ongoing transition toward multipolarity. A key component of the Vatican’s policy in Asia is its promotion of neo-environmentalism, which draws on the notion of “integral ecology” and the ideal of a “Christian left-green state”, as well as on the perception of the planet as “a single living organism”. This approach is a form of liberal, occult and esoteric neo-globalism. At the same time, the Vatican continues to expand cultural dialogue and partnerships with countries on the world’s periphery. Analysis of the Vatican’s Asian strategy reveals the intersection of two counter processes: the politicization of religion and the religious transformation of politics. The Vatican’s initiatives are fully embedded in the dynamics of global politics, where globalist actors increasingly speak “on behalf of” the periphery. A successful reorientation toward the periphery, the article argues, would enable the West to mobilize part of the Global South’s political resources to maintain control over Europe and to confront Russia (and possibly China). In this global context, Catholic proselytism continues to operate, as in earlier periods, as an instrument of “soft power”, advancing Westernization and the diffusion of European values.

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