Half A Bravo

Is there such a thing as half a bravo?  That is what this blogger wishes to give this pope who brought with him to Italy 12 Syrian refugees, consisting of three families including six children on his visit to Greece. [1]  They would be "supported by the Holy See and cared for initially  by Italy's Catholic Sant'Egidio Community, which has been active in providing assistance to refugees [Emphasis  added]." [2]

Why just half a bravo?  First, the pope himself is not taking care of the refugees.  He is rich enough to delegate the burdens of taking care of them to other people, interrupting and adding stress to their lives. [3]  He had made his point, and scored politically, on the back of the working class.  This blogger doubts that these refugees would be looking into the eyes of the pope with any frequency, and addressing their continuing needs in a time of adjustment, despite what this pope had said previously, "'[w]e should not identify almsgiving simply with a (hastily given) monetary offering' ... 'without looking at the person, and without stopping to talk, to understand what they really need.'" [4]

Secondly, these refugees would be looked after "initially" but what would happen after that, when the "raucous welcome Saturday night in Rome, with drummers thumping, a crowd applauding" [5] had quieted down, when the "single red rose" that each of the three mothers had received had withered? [6]

No news would be coming out of the Vatican then, the exploitation of sorts [7] long over, with challenges mounting and assistance dwindling, turning half a bravo given into a disillusionment.


[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-makes-provocative-trip-greece-eu-deports-migrants-040525942.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] This blogger does not wish to assume away the joy derived from helping refugee families take root in a foreign country, watching them blossom over time and receiving in return immense gratitude; yet, he is also mindful of how difficult the process can be, for the refugees to learn a new language and be assimilated culturally, without facing various forms of discrimination, especially when they have to compete for jobs with native Italians.  The real test comes when they are unable to find employment, will the pope then hire them to work at the Vatican, as if the Vatican does not have its share of internal politics.
[4] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-when-giving-to-the-poor-look-them-in-the-eyes-59625/
[5] http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_REL_POPE_MIGRANTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-16-08-55-11
[6] Ibid.
[7] This is a mutual exploitation.  Both the pope and the refugees benefited, at the outset.  Only time will tell what may become of the exploiter and the exploited.