{"id":61693,"date":"2023-10-19T12:02:40","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T16:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insidethevatican.com\/?p=61693"},"modified":"2023-10-19T12:02:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T16:02:40","slug":"letter-143-2023-thur-oct-19-cardinal-parolin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insidethevatican.com\/news\/newsflash\/letter-143-2023-thur-oct-19-cardinal-parolin\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter #143, 2023, Thur, Oct 19: Cardinal Parolin"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em>Cardinal Pietro Parolin<\/em><\/strong>, 69, the Vatican Secretary of State. As such, Parolin heads up the Vatican’s diplomacy and is currently working to keep open all contacts in the hope of a negotiated settlement for peace in the Holy Land. Parolin’s efforts have drawn the attention of many Vatican watchers, and some \u2014 in particular <\/em>J.D. Flynn<\/em><\/strong>, an American who directs <\/em>The Pillar news agency, whose article “Could Parolin be pope?” published earlier today is excerpted below (<\/em>link<\/em><\/strong><\/a>), who reports that Parolin recently made a strong plea at the Synod in favor of the Church remaining faithful to traditional Catholic doctrine \u2014 are now suggesting that Parolin could in fact be… a strong candidate to become the next Pope…<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cThe Holy See is looking for contacts; let’s not lose hope.<\/em>\u201d\u2014Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, in remarks yesterday to the Italian news agency ANSA regarding the tragic and very tense situation on the Holy Land (<\/em><\/strong>link<\/em><\/strong><\/a>)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“According to sources close to the assembly [the Synod on Synodality now meeting in Rome], Parolin made a ‘strong and clear’ intervention during the synod meeting \u2014 which is not open to the public \u2014 urging that participants emphasize fidelity to divine revelation, as interpreted by the Church\u2019s magisterium, in the course of their conversations<\/em>.” \u2014JD Flynn, in an article published last night on <\/em>The Pillar (text below) (<\/em><\/strong>link<\/em><\/strong><\/a>). Note: Flynn asserts that this was said by Parolin in the Synod session, but the Synod sessions are closed and so it has not been otherwise officially confirmed that Parolin actually said these words…. We will try to confirm this in coming days…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>***<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>As the tragic violence in the Holy Land continues to take many lives, the Pope’s right-hand man, the Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin<\/strong>, 69, is seeking to keep lines of contact open so that the Vatican may help to bring peace.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>For his part, Pope Francis<\/strong> yesterday called for renewed prayers and diplomatic efforts for peace, and designated October 27 as a world day of prayer and fasting for peace in the Holy Land<\/strong>. (link<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>As this occurs, some onlookers are seeing in Parolin, who has been Secretary of State throughout most of the pontificate of Pope Francis<\/strong>, a possible successor to Francis. Here below is an article from The Pillar <\/em>which sets forth some of the reasons for this new attention on the Italian cardinal as a possible future Pope, and includes the revelation of Parolin’s (alleged) remarks to the present Synod in support of preserving intact traditional Catholic doctrine\u2014RM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>***<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>First, a piece from the Italian news agency Ansa (<\/em>link<\/em><\/strong><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“We must have hope that such a tragic moment can be overcome”<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ANSA Italian news agency<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>VATICAN CITY, October 18, 2023, 9.54pm<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>By the ANSA editorial team<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“We are looking for contacts, on both sides,” said Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin<\/strong>, speaking of the diplomatic action by the Holy See for the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The cardinal specified that he was referring to the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“As Saint Paul<\/strong> said, it is necessary ‘spes contra spem<\/em>‘ hope against hope”], we must hope when there is no longer hope. When there are reasons to hope it is easy, not like in this case, but we must have hope that we can overcome this tragic moment,” he told ANSA (…) “I reiterate our strong condemnation of the terrible attacks and hostage-taking by Hamas. Our thoughts and prayers are with the hostages and their families and I join the Pope in calling for their immediate release,” he said during the inauguration of the office of a World Jewish Center (for the World Jewish Congress) in via della Conciliazione. \u201cActs of violence and terrorism do nothing to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine, they only bring great suffering to innocents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Speaking about the event with the international Jewish community, Parolin spoke of an “important evening for dialogue between Christians and Jews” which “shows the bond which unites us as children of the same God.”<\/p>\n<\/div> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>***<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Second, a piece from the Italian magazine Domani<\/em> (“Tomorrow”) (link<\/strong><\/a>):<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(by Francesco Peloso, Domani<\/em>)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 While the crisis in the Middle East flares up after the massacre at the Anglican hospital of al-Ahli in Gaza, the Holy See tries not to lose its compass by following a double path: that of prayer for peace and of the appeals to the international community addressed by the Pope, and the diplomatic one entrusted to Cardinal Pietro Parolin<\/strong>.\u00a0Who repeated an almost forgotten concept in these days of war: that is, that the basis for the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must pass through the “two peoples, two states” formula and that we must start again from there if we want to build peace between the two peoples.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>World War<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>On the other hand, this time the Vatican cannot be wrong: at stake is the future of the Holy Land where the Christian communities have been profoundly affected by the flight of many families due to conflicts, religious extremism, poverty and lack of prospects for younger people.\u00a0And then the new conflict seems to prefigure the scenario evoked several times in recent years by Pope Francis of a third world war fought piecemeal.\u00a0That is, on various fronts that could, sooner or later, come together.\u00a0In a similar context, the Vatican Secretary of State Parolin has taken back the stage and now seems to lead the Vatican diplomacy which was partially confused after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>This time, in any case, the Vatican’s position does not lend itself to misunderstanding.\u00a0At the end of yesterday’s general audience, Francis appealed to the international community to “do everything possible to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza where, he said, “the situation is desperate”.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Then he added a dramatic reminder to believers: “Let the weapons be silent!\u00a0Let the cry of peace of the people, of the people, of the children be heard!\u00a0Brothers and sisters, war does not solve any problem, it only sows death and destruction, increases hatred and multiplies revenge.\u00a0War erases the future.\u00a0I exhort believers to take only one side in this conflict: that of peace;\u00a0but not in words, with prayer, with total dedication.”<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>For next October 27, the Pope has announced a day of prayer and fasting for peace.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Dialogue between the parties<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Parolin, to explain the position of the Church of Rome in the crisis that the Middle East is experiencing, was also interviewed by Nunzia De Girolamo<\/strong>, in the program Avanti Popolo<\/em>, on Rai 3.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>On the occasion he reiterated the condemnation “total” of the attack carried out by Hamas against Israel.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>“The Holy See has always had a very precise line,” Parolin said when speaking of the conflict. “Peace in the Holy Land can only come from the recognition of the rights of both peoples.\u00a0For us this has always meant supporting the formula of two states living according to internationally recognized borders, in peace and in good relations.\u00a0This peace and this solution can only be achieved through direct dialogue between the two parties, supported, supported and encouraged by the international community.”<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>A position that denies legitimacy both to those who, like Hamas, want to transform the Palestinian cause into a sort of Armageddon to destroy Israel, and to those who, in the Netanyahu government, have promoted racist and xenophobic policies against the Palestinians in recent years.\u00a0Parolin also listed what the Holy See’s priorities are in the new war: “I believe that first of all we need to limit the damage.\u00a0The hostage problem is a fundamental point to resolve, and international mediation should help to dismantle and reduce the tension somewhat.\u00a0It’s difficult at the moment, I don’t know if there are negotiations underway to take them out… “Another point to underline,” he said, “is to recognize Israel’s right to self-defense, but it must meet ethical criteria, for example, it must absolutely avoid the death of innocent people.\u00a0International humanitarian law must be respected.\u00a0This is what the Holy Father asked, and this is what the UN also asked.”<\/p>\n<\/div> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>***<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Third, a piece by J.D. Flynn<\/strong> entitled “Could Parolin be pope?” published at 9 pm last night by The Pillar<\/em> (link<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>By JD Flynn<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>October 18, 2023<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>As the synod on synodality proceeds at the Vatican, bishops and lay participants have reportedly weighed in on a variety of ways by which the synod might propose changes to Catholic doctrine, or that elements of Catholic teaching be at least reexamined and deemphasized, in response to the pope\u2019s call to see the Church become more \u201csynodal\u201d \u2014 and more welcoming to Catholics disaffected from the Church.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>But while reports pile up of participants with views at odds with Catholic teaching, sources have told\u00a0The Pillar\u00a0<\/em>that one voice in the synod has been a loud advocate for a vision of synodality that places Catholic doctrine at its center: Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Given his ordinary reputation for diplomatic reserve, the notion that Parolin has been outspoken at the synod might come as a surprise. And it comes at an unusual time for the cardinal \u2014 as Parolin seems both privately and publicly to be moving from Pope Francis<\/strong>\u2019 inner circle.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Whatever his intervention might mean for the synod, the more interesting question might be about another Vatican assembly \u2014 what could an outspoken Pietro Parolin mean for the next papal conclave?<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>As the Francis papacy moves past its ten-year mark, Vatican-watchers have begun to discuss in earnest how the election of the pope\u2019s successor might play out. More quietly, cardinals and bishops have begun to have the same kinds of conversations.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>There is an emerging school of thought that after three \u201cforeign\u201d popes, the College of Cardinals might be eager to elect an Italian to the position again, for the stability in office that would seem to imply.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Further, the Italian block of cardinals might have outsize influence in the next conclave, because the Italians know each other, while a large number of the College of Cardinals, those appointed from far-flung corners of the globe, have had few opportunities to come together, let alone to form opinions of each other.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Among the Italians, the three most obvious choices are Cardinal Angelo De Donatis<\/strong>, the cardinal vicar of Rome; Cardinal Matteo Zuppi<\/strong>, the archbishop of Bologna, and Parolin<\/strong>, who has been Francis\u2019 Secretary of State since 2014.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>It\u2019s not clear that there is a front-runner.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>De Donatis has been plagued in recent months by the public backlash against his defense of disgraced Jesuit Marko Rupnik<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops\u2019 conference, has been given charge of Francis\u2019 signature diplomatic project, the pope\u2019s efforts to secure a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. But at the same time, the cardinal has been frequently criticized for a perceived doctrinal \u201cflexibility\u201d that makes it hard to know where he stands.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Meanwhile, while Parolin remains the second-most influential officeholder in the Church \u2014 at least on paper \u2014 it seems clear that his stock with Pope Francis has fallen in recent years.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>In late 2020, the Secretariat of State was stripped of its assets and investment portfolio, together worth billions of euros, in light of the charges of criminal financial misconduct in the secretariat.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>More recently, Parolin\u2019s diplomatic staff\u00a0were \u201cfrozen out\u201d of the drafting process<\/a>\u00a0of this month\u2019s papal exhortation,\u00a0Laudate deum,\u00a0<\/em>despite their work with international leaders on the subject of climate change.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>At the same time, Pope Francis<\/strong> tapped another figure \u2014\u00a0Zuppi<\/a>\u2014 to lead his efforts to aid in a Ukrainian-Russian peace process. It is remarkable to diplomacy watchers that the pontiff would task someone other than his secretary of state with the Church\u2019s highest-profile diplomatic effort.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Since the pope made that appointment, according to diplomatic sources, some Vatican ambassadors have begun to regard Zuppi as the kind-of\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Letter #142, 2023, Tuesday, October 17: Cardinal Parolin<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Parolin, “The Holy See is looking for contacts; let’s not lose hope”<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>War in Israel, Parolin returns to the center of Vatican diplomacy (link<\/a>)<\/h3>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Could Parolin be pope?<\/strong><\/h3>\n