His Eminence, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness is in Russia this week. He left the Vatican yesterday and will return on Thursday. In advance of his journey, the Cardinal granted an interview to the Tass Agency. In it, he explained the urgency of a more effective cooperation between different Confessions and a greater understanding between the Churches.
On the eve of his important visit to Russia, the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, gave a long and articulated interview to the Russian Agency TASS. The Cardinal stressed first of all that the meeting with the Orthodox hierarchy attests to the openness established in recent years up to last year’s meeting in Havana between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill. The meeting, noted Cardinal Parolin, “served to give new eyes to see one another not predominantly on the background of the past, but of that of 'desired and pursued communion'. The Cardinal added that this is the condition necessary to be able to give new and unprecedented steps for the development of the ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox. It’s a path that requires love, patience, tenacity and commitment. And in this connection, he mentioned the initiative of the relics of Saint Nicholas, which arrived at Moscow from Bari, and were received with enthusiasm and devotion by the Russian faithful, in the more than two months of permanence in the capital and in Saint Petersburg.
Responding to a question on the crisis of values being experienced in today’s world, the Vatican Secretary of State highlighted the urgency of a more effective cooperation between the different Confessions. An ever greater understanding between the Churches will also be able to make its contribution through the sharing of experiences lived in different regions.
Then, answering a question on terrorism, a danger, he stressed, that must be addressed, pondering, however, with much care on the eventual ways of intervention, in order to avoid actions of force triggering in turn new spirals of violence. The work of the Church, specified the Cardinal, is always long-term, made up of education and the formation of consciences, and he recalled that, in the last decades, the Holy See spared no efforts to start, consolidate and sometimes renew relations of dialogue at the cultural and religious level, but especially at the socio-humanitarian level.
Hence, Tass agency asked Cardinal Parolin to reflect on Trump’s Presidency. The Vatican Secretary of State hoped that the American President, like all the other actors of the International Community, will not desist from the challenge of pursuing a reduction of the global overheating of the planet. And widening the horizon, he warned that in international relations “the awareness matures increasingly that policies and strategies based on open and heated confrontations, almost a dialogue between the deaf, or worse, fuelled by fear and the terror of atomic or chemical arms, don’t open the door to just and lasting solutions to problems among the nations. It’s necessary to listen to Pope Francis, exhorted the Cardinal, when asking the world leaders to build peace and not shut themselves in national or partial interests.
Cardinal Parolin answered a question about the grave situation in Venezuela., a country the Cardinal knows well, having been the Apostolic Nuncio in Caracas before becoming Secretary of State. He stressed that the Holy See is very committed to fostering a peaceful and democratic solution, even in the midst of many misunderstandings. Once again he said that the path is always the same. They must meet, create an atmosphere of trust. Cardinal Parolin recalled the serious humanitarian crisis the country is experiencing and he appealed to the International Community and friendly countries of Venezuela to give their disinterested and peaceful aid so that there is a positive evolution.
I’m going to visit Russia for the purpose of talking about, in addition to topics of a bilateral character and those regarding the life of the Catholic Church, also questions connected with the conflicts that afflict many, too many regions of the world. So that every effort will be made to re-establish justice and peace, in respect of the dignity and inviolability of every human person, Cardinal Parolin explained in an interview with the Russian State agency Ria Novosti.
Planned for the first day is the Cardinal’s meeting with the Catholic Bishops of the country, a conversation with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for Foreign Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and, in the evening, a Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. And among the most important meetings planned for the next few days are those with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov. During the conversations, particular attention will be given to the Middle East and to the dramatic situation of Syria and Iraq, but also to the war in Ukraine and the unresolved situations of the southern Caucasus.
There are various worrying international dossiers, explained the Cardinal, and I think that particular attention will be able to be dedicated to them during the visit, especially in the situations where Russia is more directly active. In reality, the list would be long and it will not be the only object of discussion on this occasion, because diplomatic contacts are constant. However, the drama lived by the population, especially in some of the situations just mentioned, calls for assiduous attention at all levels.
In regard to international relations, the Vatican Secretary of State stressed that the message of the Holy See is always that of putting above the interests of a particular State mutual respect and sincere dialogue, even when such an attitude can be rather unpopular for vast strata of the population, for various reasons.
Today, the Cardinal will meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. After the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Patriarch at Cuba, there is no doubt that relations between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church are going through a positive period, the Cardinal pointed out. However this goal becomes in turn the beginning of a new path, that of even more intense dialogue, in an attempt to understand one another ever better, overcoming the misunderstandings and the differences that can exist.
Finally, responding to a question of a possible opening for a trip by Pope Francis to Russia, he said that at the moment the topic of an eventual papal visit is not part of the agenda of the conversations, but the hope is that every meeting, especially with Patriarch Kirill, may contribute to prepare the way for the development of increasingly positive and intense contacts.
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| Orthodox Patriarchate, Moscow (Russia) Wikimedia Commons |
Vatican Radio's Synthesis
of the interview granted to the
Tass Agency
On the eve of his important visit to Russia, the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, gave a long and articulated interview to the Russian Agency TASS. The Cardinal stressed first of all that the meeting with the Orthodox hierarchy attests to the openness established in recent years up to last year’s meeting in Havana between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill. The meeting, noted Cardinal Parolin, “served to give new eyes to see one another not predominantly on the background of the past, but of that of 'desired and pursued communion'. The Cardinal added that this is the condition necessary to be able to give new and unprecedented steps for the development of the ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox. It’s a path that requires love, patience, tenacity and commitment. And in this connection, he mentioned the initiative of the relics of Saint Nicholas, which arrived at Moscow from Bari, and were received with enthusiasm and devotion by the Russian faithful, in the more than two months of permanence in the capital and in Saint Petersburg.
Responding to a question on the crisis of values being experienced in today’s world, the Vatican Secretary of State highlighted the urgency of a more effective cooperation between the different Confessions. An ever greater understanding between the Churches will also be able to make its contribution through the sharing of experiences lived in different regions.
Then, answering a question on terrorism, a danger, he stressed, that must be addressed, pondering, however, with much care on the eventual ways of intervention, in order to avoid actions of force triggering in turn new spirals of violence. The work of the Church, specified the Cardinal, is always long-term, made up of education and the formation of consciences, and he recalled that, in the last decades, the Holy See spared no efforts to start, consolidate and sometimes renew relations of dialogue at the cultural and religious level, but especially at the socio-humanitarian level.
Hence, Tass agency asked Cardinal Parolin to reflect on Trump’s Presidency. The Vatican Secretary of State hoped that the American President, like all the other actors of the International Community, will not desist from the challenge of pursuing a reduction of the global overheating of the planet. And widening the horizon, he warned that in international relations “the awareness matures increasingly that policies and strategies based on open and heated confrontations, almost a dialogue between the deaf, or worse, fuelled by fear and the terror of atomic or chemical arms, don’t open the door to just and lasting solutions to problems among the nations. It’s necessary to listen to Pope Francis, exhorted the Cardinal, when asking the world leaders to build peace and not shut themselves in national or partial interests.
Cardinal Parolin answered a question about the grave situation in Venezuela., a country the Cardinal knows well, having been the Apostolic Nuncio in Caracas before becoming Secretary of State. He stressed that the Holy See is very committed to fostering a peaceful and democratic solution, even in the midst of many misunderstandings. Once again he said that the path is always the same. They must meet, create an atmosphere of trust. Cardinal Parolin recalled the serious humanitarian crisis the country is experiencing and he appealed to the International Community and friendly countries of Venezuela to give their disinterested and peaceful aid so that there is a positive evolution.
Planned for the first day is the Cardinal’s meeting with the Catholic Bishops of the country, a conversation with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for Foreign Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and, in the evening, a Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. And among the most important meetings planned for the next few days are those with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov. During the conversations, particular attention will be given to the Middle East and to the dramatic situation of Syria and Iraq, but also to the war in Ukraine and the unresolved situations of the southern Caucasus.
There are various worrying international dossiers, explained the Cardinal, and I think that particular attention will be able to be dedicated to them during the visit, especially in the situations where Russia is more directly active. In reality, the list would be long and it will not be the only object of discussion on this occasion, because diplomatic contacts are constant. However, the drama lived by the population, especially in some of the situations just mentioned, calls for assiduous attention at all levels.
In regard to international relations, the Vatican Secretary of State stressed that the message of the Holy See is always that of putting above the interests of a particular State mutual respect and sincere dialogue, even when such an attitude can be rather unpopular for vast strata of the population, for various reasons.
Today, the Cardinal will meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. After the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Patriarch at Cuba, there is no doubt that relations between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church are going through a positive period, the Cardinal pointed out. However this goal becomes in turn the beginning of a new path, that of even more intense dialogue, in an attempt to understand one another ever better, overcoming the misunderstandings and the differences that can exist.
Finally, responding to a question of a possible opening for a trip by Pope Francis to Russia, he said that at the moment the topic of an eventual papal visit is not part of the agenda of the conversations, but the hope is that every meeting, especially with Patriarch Kirill, may contribute to prepare the way for the development of increasingly positive and intense contacts.
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