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Falklands' war: John Paul II feared Argentine defeat could lead to a left-wing pro-Soviet regime

John Paul II, first reigning Pope to visit the UK meets PM Margaret Thatcher when the war was on

The Daily Express Sunday's edition reveals in an exclusive piece by Marco Giannangeli, based on uncovered documents that Pope John Paul II tried to convince Margaret Thatcher to abandon the Falkland Islands at the height of the 1982 war with Argentina, fearing a collapse of the military regime could lead to a left-sing government, under influence of the Soviet Union.

 Under the heading of “How the Pope begged Margaret Thatcher to abandon the Falkland Islands” the piece argues that John Paul II made the private plea during his visit to the United Kingdom, the first by a reigning pontiff, in 1982.

Though officially an “honest broker” between both sides, he expressed his fear that a military defeat for Argentina would mean the toppling of its right-wing military dictatorship in favour of a left-wing government, which would allow the Soviet Union more dominance in the region.

However a top-secret memorandum, uncovered after 32 years, shows how Mrs. Thatcher held her ground, saying Argentina's forces should “go home and leave the Queen’s people and Queen’s territory”.

Already facing mounting casualties and pressure from the US, the Prime Minster rebuffed any talk of compromise because “there could be no compromise between right and wrong”, stating that: “while war was a terrible evil, there were worse things including the extinction of all that one believed in”.

Tellingly, she said that any deal would also have consequences for the people of Gibraltar.

The Downing Street memorandum reveals how the Pope, who will be made a saint at the end of this month, sent his secretary of state, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, to pay a “courtesy call” on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the eve of his arrival to Britain on May 28.

The meeting, noted the confidential note, was held without members of the cabinet and treated as “private”.

Just hours before, 500 British troops from 2 Para, the Parachute Regiment, took part in the first major land battle of the two-month conflict. Though victorious against 1,200 Argentinean conscripts, the Battle of Goose Green cost 17 British lives including 2 Para’s commanding officer, Lt Col ‘H’ Jones, who was awarded a posthumous VC.

Three other vessels, HMS Antelope, HMS Coventry and the container ship Atlantic Conveyer had also been sunk on May 23 and 25, with the loss of 32 lives and scores wounded.

The four-page letter, written by her private personal secretary Sir Clive Whitmore to Sir Brian Fall, pps to Foreign Secretary Francis Pym, explains how the so-called courtesy call at 6.40pm “in fact lasted 50 minutes and was devoted, at the Cardinal’s initiative, very largely to the Falkland’s War.”

“Cardinal Casaroli said that the Pope had asked him to express some thoughts about the Falklands crisis,” wrote Sir Clive. “The Holy Father’s …fear is that a situation like this could have very serious and dangerous consequences of a more general kind.”

The Pope, explained Cardinal Casaroli, saw the Western world as “not just a political entity but even more as an ideological entity” and feared “the Soviet Union would take advantage of the situation and create a gap between Latin America and the West”.

While the “honor of the country, the security of the Falkland Islanders and respect for international law were all valuable principles”, the Pope wondered whether Thatcher was being motivated by “other principles” such as the Islands’ strategic location in securing a passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Surely, the Cardinal went on, it would be preferable to have better relations with Latin America and the Argentine?

“In short,” said Sir Clive, “The Holy Father’s message was that it would be a blessing for the United Kingdom, for the Argentine and the free world if it were possible to reach a just and honorable compromise and a peaceful solution.”

Mrs. Thatcher explained that Britain had not wanted to send forces to the Islands, but had been the victim of aggression.

“The Falkland Islands were British territory in law and the Islanders were British people. Some of them went back seven generations. They were a hard working and God-fearing people,” she said.

“They led a life of their own choosing…(and) their peace had been shattered. We could not bargain away the freedom, justice and democracy which the Falkland Islands had enjoyed to the Argentine where these things were unknown.”

She added that if Britain did not defend its own people, not only would she have failed the Islanders “but other people like Guyana and Belize when they have felt themselves threatened.”

Similarly, she added, “Gibraltar was British and its people would remain British.”

And she said that independence for the Islanders would be theirs one day, adding: “The United Kingdom is not a colonial power. No other country has freely brought so many colonies to independence.”

The documents emerge as both Argentina and Spain continue to ramp up their claims on both territories. Earlier this month Argentina’s Government, led by President Cristina Kirchner, announced the issue of new bank notes depicting the Falkland Islands on one side and so-called folk hero Antonio Rivero, who led up uprising against the British in 1833, on the other.

The banknote is timed to coincide with a state visit to Argentina by Pope Francis who, two years ago as Bishop of Buenos Aires, referred the islands as “our Malvinas”.

Speaking last night historian Philip Willan, author of 'The Vatican at War', said: “These documents show that the Vatican was engaged in secret diplomacy for its own ends.

“It would have been very embarrassing for the Holy See if these had come out at the time. The Vatican played the role of honest broker to try and head off the war but this secret dimension shows how strongly they were influenced by the global war on communism.”