Interview with Il Regno: “Peace is above all national interests”. On Europe, “Indifferent about immigration” and “Nationalism empties Europe of its values”. On Trump: “ time is needed to judge”. On China: “Positive dialogue”.
“Prospects for a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis should be put above any national or partisan interests”. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, says in an interview with Italian monthly magazine Il Regno, anticipated by newspaper Il Sole 24Ore on july 24 . The Vatican “Prime Minister”, who visited Belarus in 2015 and Ukraine last year, will be in Moscow at the end of August, confirming the Holy See’s interest towards Eastern Europe. Attention that has been given since the very first days of the pontificate, as Bergoglio has always involved Vladimir Putin in trying to negotiate solutions to the crisis.
“What makes Eastern Europe important is not just its being at the edge of Europe,” said Parolin, “but also its historical role in civilization, culture and Christian faith”. Some point out that when St. John Paul II imagined a Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains, he wasn’t’ referring to a sort of “Western expansionism,” but to a more united society throughout the entire continent.”
As for Russia’s come back on the international scene, from Ukraine to Syria, the Secretary of State said, “Today, differences between various Western countries and Russia are often stressed, as if they were two different worlds, each with their own values, their own interests, national or transnational pride, and even their own concept of international law”. In a similar context, the challenge is to help a better mutual understanding between those who are likely to emerge as two opposing poles. The struggle to understand each other does not mean one position yielding to the other, but a “patient, constructive, frank, and at the same time, respectful dialogue.” Such dialogue becomes even more urgent on matters that are at the origin of current conflicts. In this sense, the question of peace and the search for solutions to the various ongoing crises should be placed above any national or partisan interest. Here there can be no victors or defeated. Indulging your own specific interests, which is one of the characteristics in this age of return to nationalisms, distracts you from seeing how the possibility of a catastrophe is not averted on its own. I am convinced that it is part of the Holy See’s mission to insist on this aspect.”
About the new American administration led by Donald Trump, Parolin invites not to hasten judgment. “time is needed to judge”. “Things can’t be rushed”. A new administration, so different and particular, and not only for political reasons, compared to the previous ones, will need time to find its own balance. Every judgment now is hasty, even if sometimes the show of uncertainty itself can surprise. We hope that the United States - and other actors in the international scene - will not turn aside their international responsibility on the various and compelling issues. We are thinking in particular of the new climate challenges: reducing global warming means saving the common home where we live and reducing the inequalities and poverty that global warming is producing. Let’s also think about the ongoing conflicts.”
On the effectiveness of the Holy See’s diplomatic action, Parolin said, “The Catholic Church’s diplomacy is a diplomacy of peace. It has no interest: neither political, nor economic, nor ideological. That is why it can represent with greater freedom the reasons of one side to the other side as well as show the risks that a self-referential vision can entail for everyone”. Parolin’s visit to Belarus occurred during the sanctions, while the one in Ukraine took place in the middle of the war. That visit was the occasion to bring the solidarity of the Church and the Pope to all the people involved in the conflict. And to show this to the world, we got closer to Donbass, which was full of refugees, using the “instrument of solidarity” with the victims of violence, regardless of their nationality or politics. Pope Francis opened the path by calling on European Churches to aid the country with a personal and substantial contribution. If we defend each and everyone’s human dignity, without being against anyone, then “another way” is possible. The Holy See seeks nothing for herself. Hers is a humanly difficult, evangelically indispensable effort, so that neighboring worlds return to dialogue and stop being torn apart by hate even before bombs.”
The cardinal also answered questions about Helmut Kohl, the former German Chancellor who has recently passed away, and took the opportunity to talk about Europe: “Kohl holds the historic credit of believing in the European ideal as a concrete political ideal. The fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification were not a matter that concerned just Germany and its tragic history, but the sign of a developing Europe in which a great country like Germany could legitimately and profitably operate. Not a Germanized Europe, but a Europeanized Germany. Kohl understood that even European integration was, to some extent, born from East-West block politics. And that Europe had to exist as a political and not just economic subject beyond those blocks. Today, there is the impression that even the return to the idea of Europe, which seems to be recovering after a long period of national anti-European feelings, could be soon halted. The risk is that we will use Europe just for national purposes. It is as if many were saying, after Brexit, it is better to stay in the common European home, perhaps each one on its own. Nationalism has its roots in the cultural and religious crisis of Europe and ends up emptying Europe of its values and reasons. Europe has an irreplaceable responsibility. And when it shows itself indifferent, as in the case of immigration, it renounce doing some possible good.”
Finally, Parolin spoke of the Far East and of the dialogues undertaken by the Catholic Church, in particular with China, “The Far East is a vast, complex and diversified region of the world. For many centuries that large part of humanity has come into contact with Christianity and, consequently, with the Catholic Church. The ancient cultural and religious contacts with the Asian world today offer important cues for today’s encounter between cultures. Certainly, new challenges have arisen today, which await new and creative solutions. However, the Church’s ultimate purpose is the same as always, and it is a pastoral purpose: to bring God to men and men to God. Concretely, The Catholic Church demands that the right to “freely profess one’s faith” is guaranteed for the benefit of all and for the harmony of society as a whole. Catholics want to peacefully live their faith in their respective countries as good citizens, engaging in the positive development of the community. In this framework, I also think of the long-lasting dialogue with the governments of some countries in the region, including the People’s Republic of China. Dialogue itself is already a positive fact, which opens to meeting and boosts confidence. We face it in a spirit of healthy realism, knowing well that the destiny of humanity is, above all, in the hands of God” .
