He slammed the Pope's call last week for the global community to study whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constituted genocide of the Palestinian people.

The G word

The Pope's views are included in his new book "Hope Never Disappoints. Pilgrims Towards a Better World".

It it, he says "according to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide". This statement and other extracts were published on Sunday in Italy's La Stampa daily newspaper.

The book is scheduled to be published today.

As Francis has often expressed disquiet over the Israel-Palestine war and the impact of its victims, it's perhaps to be expected that his book would include comments such as these.

He has often given his views about the Israel-Palestine war, so his forthright comments in the book are not surprising.

In September for example, he said "Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon are immoral and disproportionate", adding that the Israeli army had gone beyond the rules of war.

Some sorry facts

The Israeli occupation army aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip has wrought immense destruction:

• Some 148,000 Palestinian people are dead or wounded
• Most victims are children and women
• There are over 10,000 missing people
• Famine has killed dozens of children and elderly people

The Middle East Monitor says the situation in Gaza is being described as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.

Netanyahu charged with war crimes

The Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin supported the Pope's comments about Gaza.

While he was at the Pope's book launch, Parolin told media "The Pope has expressed the position of the Holy See, which is that these matters must be thoroughly studied because there are technical criteria for defining the concept of genocide".

He did not comment about the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes in Gaza.

Source

• Middle East Monitor
• Vatican News

The lower chamber of Parliament rejected the treaty in 2003, saying the Catholic Church would receive preferential treatment over other churches and that it would be disadvantageous for the country, considered one of the most atheist in the European Union.

The document was signed Thursday in Prague by conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala and the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Fiala called it a "balanced" document that "fully respects our legal order." The full text was not expected to be made public until after the treaty is ratified.

The document still has to be approved by both houses of Parliament and ratified by President Petr Pavel to become effective.

Read More

While it was earlier rumoured that Pope Francis might address the assembly, the pontiff was in the middle of his 46th Apostolic Journey abroad, to Luxembourg and Belgium.

Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) — an independent organisation collecting data on violent conflict — estimates that one in seven people globally has been exposed to conflict in 2024. ACLED also reported a 15% increase in political violence incidents during the last 12 months, a development that Cardinal Parolin said has left the Holy See "deeply concerned."

Read More

"In the life of the church, just war theories are a secondary element in Catholic teaching; the first is that we should not engage in warfare at all" he said in an interview with Vatican News.

Cardinal McElroy's comments come as global conflicts escalate, prompting fresh debate on the Church's role in conflict resolution.

The cardinal is a key adviser to the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, which will open in Rome on 29 September. Pax Christi International, a global Catholic peace movement, will launch the new institute.

McElroy's remarks align with the position often voiced by Pope Francis. In 2022, the Pope said it was "time to rethink the concept of a ‘just war'", stressing that resorting to war contradicts constructive dialogue. Francis has repeatedly called for reevaluating traditional Church teachings that historically justified certain wars under the ‘just war' doctrine.

Alternative ways to resolve conflict

In July this year, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin echoed these concerns, noting that the theory is being revised.

"There is a lot of discussion today because this ('just war') is a concept of social doctrine. There is just war, the war of defence but today, with the weapons that are available, this concept becomes very difficult" Parolin said.

Cardinal McElroy reiterated that violence in any form is contrary to the Gospel. He added "it's ever more important that the church be a witness to finding alternative ways to resolve these conflicts as they break out".

McElroy also highlighted that peacebuilding goes beyond merely ending conflicts; it involves promoting human dignity and solidarity.

Drawing from Pope Francis' 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, McElroy pointed out that the Church must adopt new perspectives, especially regarding marginalised regions.

"We have blinders in our minds about the peripheries, and we think some regions are less important" the cardinal said. "That is a poison and certainly contrary to the Gospel."

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

CathNews New Zealand

CathNews New Zealand

Cardinal Pietro Parolin's Aug. 12 conversation with President Masoud Pezeshkian was well-timed.

Iran is widely believed to be preparing to attack Israel following the July 31 assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

The Holy See press office said that the Vatican Secretary of State congratulated Pezeshkian on assuming office, after his victory in a July election triggered by his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash.

Parolin "expressed the Holy See's serious concern regarding current events in the Middle East, reiterating the need to avoid by any means the spread of the very grave ongoing conflict, instead favoring dialogue, negotiation, and peace," the press office said.

Is it surprising that Pezeshkian took Parolin's call as Iran reportedly gears up for a strike on Israel? How far do Holy See-Iran relations go back?

And why does the Vatican invest in relations with a country that the U.S. cut ties with in 1980 and categorizes as a state sponsor of terrorism?

The Pillar takes a look.

Was the call surprising?

When world leaders are on the warpath, they are typically reluctant to take phone calls from the Vatican.

While they may appreciate Holy See diplomacy in abstract terms, they are usually unwilling to listen directly to the Vatican's appeals for restraint and negotiation.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for example, President Vladimir Putin eluded Pope Francis' attempts at a direct conversation.

Why was Pezeshkian willing to pick up the phone to Parolin? Was it because he's new to the top office? Or was he expecting a quick congratulatory call with little substance?

These hypotheses are unlikely, given that Pezeshkian has been in politics for more than a quarter-century. More likely is that Iran's new president thought the call would be beneficial.

How so? An account of the conversation on the Iranian president's website offers clues.

The readout says:

"Emphasising the principled positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in avoiding war and promoting world peace and security, the president considered and clarified that the actions of the Zionist regime in killing women and children, as well as the criminal act of this regime in the assassination of the guest of our country, are against all humanitarian and legal principles."

"According to all international standards and regulations, the right to defend and respond to the aggressor is reserved for the aggressed country."

Pezeshkian seems to have seen the phone call as a chance to present Iran as a country committed to international law, yet constrained to defend itself against external aggression.

The statement also appeared to suggest that Iran and the Holy See's positions on Gaza were compatible, if not exactly the same.

Cardinal Parolin, it said, noted that the Vatican wished to see "an immediate end to the killing of civilians in Gaza and the immediate establishment of a ceasefire."

The Iranian president, for his part, "considered the genocide and the killing of oppressed women and children in Gaza, the cowardly assassinations in the countries of the region, and the attack on hospitals and schools where refugees are housed, as part of the criminal actions of the Zionist regime."

Pezeshkian was no doubt aware that news of his conversation with Parolin would likely reach a global audience.

So the president probably concluded that it was in his overall interest to engage directly with the Vatican, seizing the opportunity to portray Iran as an unjustly injured party and any retaliatory action as self-defense.

• First published by RNS
• Luke Coppen is The Pillar's Senior Correspondent.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin directly urged Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian not to retaliate. Parolin stressed the need to avoid further conflict.

This message was conveyed during a phone call on 12 August, in which Parolin reiterated the Holy See's commitment to dialogue and peace, especially in light of the ongoing violence.

Peaceful resolution more difficult

The situation in the Middle East is increasingly alarming church leaders.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, highlighted the growing difficulty in imagining a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

"Let us pray that in this long night that we are living through, the intercession of the most holy Mary will open up a glimmer of hope for us all and for the whole world" said Pizzaballa.

Similarly Bishop Cesar Essayan, the Apostolic Vicar of Beirut, echoed this call to prayer. The bishop emphasised the need for peace and the importance of acting as peacemakers.

Bishop Essayan emphasised that the situation in the Middle East is becoming "ever more difficult and the danger of war ever more serious" as tensions escalate.

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Baghdad, also urged collective prayer. He stressed that achieving peace is "the responsibility of every person and every country".

Great concern

After last Wednesday's General Audience, Pope Francis said he is following the situation in the Middle East with great concern. Francis reiterated his appeal to all the parties involved that the conflict may not spread.

"May there be an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, starting with Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very serious and unsustainable" he said, offering his prayers "that the sincere search for peace will extinguish strife, love will overcome hatred and vengeance will be disarmed by forgiveness".

Sources

Vatican News

National Catholic Reporter

Katholisch

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Holy Land recently issued a document condemning the misuse of this concept which is deeply rooted in Catholic doctrine.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin echoed these concerns, noting that the theory is being revised.

Parolin said "We know that on the question of just war. There is a lot of discussion today, because this was a concept of social doctrine.

"There is just war, the war of defence, but today with the weapons that are available, this concept becomes very difficult" he said. "In fact, it's being discussed. I don't think there is a definitive position yet, but it's a concept that's in revision."

'Just War' theory being weaponised

The Justice and Peace Commission's document argues that political actors in Israel and abroad are weaponising the "just war" theory to legitimise the ongoing violence in Gaza.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church outlines strict conditions for a war to be deemed just:

• the harm caused by the aggressor must be severe and certain,
• all peaceful alternatives must have been exhausted,
• there must be serious prospects of success,
• the use of arms must not cause greater harm than the evil being addressed.

Cardinal Parolin stressed that with modern weaponry, the "just war" concept becomes increasingly difficult to justify. "It's never a just war." He emphasised that a war can be just only in the context of defence, a standard neither side meets in the Gaza conflict.

The Justice and Peace Commission criticised the indiscriminate targeting of civilians and the disproportionate use of force. This has resulted in a catastrophic Palestinian death toll which has disproportionately affected women and children.

Cardinal Parolin reiterated that universal peace is a good that concerns everyone.

Even if diplomatic efforts sometimes seem to produce small results, "we must never get tired or give in to the temptation of resignation" he said.

"Peace is the duty of everyone" and begins "in our daily lives, in our cities, in our countries, in the world" Parolin remarked.

Sources

Crux Now

Vatican News

Agenzia Fides

CathNews New Zealand

This could lead to his excommunication and removal from the clerical state.

On 20th May, senior officers of the Vatican's Dicastery opened an extrajudicial penal trial against Viganó.

The decree states that this process was deemed appropriate without prior investigation, as the evidence was already collected and publicly available.

Archbishop Viganó, a former nuncio to the United States, is accused of making public statements that deny elements necessary to maintain communion with the Catholic Church.

The statements include rejecting the legitimacy of Pope Francis, breaking communion with him and rejecting the Second Vatican Council. Such actions are defined as schism under Canon 1364 of the Code of Canon Law. This mandates automatic excommunication for such offences.

The trial is set to follow Canon 1364, which also allows for additional penalties if the gravity of the offence warrants them, including dismissal from the clerical state.

If Viganó is convicted, the penalties will require papal confirmation.

Pope's leadership a "cancer"

Archbishop Viganó was summoned to the Vatican to respond to the charges and presented himself on 20th June. He submitted a written defence, later published on a supporter's blog, describing the charges as an "honour".

In the letter, he referred to Pope Francis by his given name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Viganó also referred to his leadership as a "cancer" within the Church.

"It is no coincidence that the accusation against me concerns the questioning of the legitimacy of Jorge Mario Bergoglio and the rejection of Vatican II: the Council represents the ideological, theological, moral and liturgical cancer of which the Bergoglian ‘synodal church' is necessary metastasis" the archbishop wrote.

Vigano considers himself as a successor of the apostles and in full communion with the Church, however he rejects the "neo-modernist heresies of the Second Vatican Council".

A canon lawyer who reviewed Viganó's defence noted that his statements affirm the charges of schism, calling it a clear declaration of separation from the Church. This reinforces the prosecution's case.

The extrajudicial procedure is expected to conclude swiftly. If Viganó is found guilty, his excommunication will be publicly declared and remain in force until he repents. The penalties, including potential dismissal from the clerical state, would then await the Pope's confirmation.

According to Vatican News, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said on Thursday in reaction to the news: "Archbishop Viganò has taken some attitudes and some actions for which he must answer."

Parolin added: "I am very sorry because I always appreciated him as a great worker, very faithful to the Holy See, someone who was, in a certain sense, also an example.

"When he was apostolic nuncio he did good work."

Sources

America Magazine

The Pillar

AP News

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

This was reported by the Vatican News portal (Friday). However, Parolin does not have the impression that the conditions for realising this wish have been met so far.

Pope Francis repeatedly emphasises his appreciation for China, and The Vatican has been pursuing rapprochement with the communist People's Republic for years.

Despite there being no regular diplomatic relations, a provisional secret agreement between the two states has regulated the appointment of Catholic bishops in China.

Parolin confirmed that the agreement has already been extended twice and should be extended again at the end of the year.

Read More

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, has proposed the establishment of a permanent Vatican office in Beijing.

This is a significant gesture towards deeper diplomatic ties.

Parolin reaffirmed that the Church does not threaten China's sovereignty.

While stressing the importance of unity with Rome, he acknowledged that foreign missionaries made past "errors" in evangelisation.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, responded positively to Parolin's call.

He desired "continuous improvement" in relations with the Vatican.

Amid these diplomatic overtures, the Vatican is also focused on renewing its controversial agreement with China regarding episcopal appointments.

Cardinal Parolin, speaking at a conference on Vatican-China relations, expressed optimism about the renewal and development of this deal, struck in 2018.

For decades, the Church in China has been divided into an "official" Church run by the government-backed Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), and a so-called "underground" Church in union with Rome.

The 2018 Vatican and China deal allows the Pope to select bishops from candidates proposed by Chinese authorities.

This significant concession aims to unify the CPCA and the underground Church.

Taiwan monitoring developments

Taiwan, which maintains formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican, is closely monitoring these developments.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry reiterated its ongoing cooperation with the Vatican on humanitarian issues and religious freedom. The country expressed concerns over China's alleged violations of religious freedom.

Taiwan also highlighted recent interactions with the Vatican. This included a delegation's visit on climate change and the Vatican's presence at Taiwan's presidential inauguration.

Two priests missing in China

Despite the positive signals indicated by Cardinal Parolin and Chinese officials, two Catholic priests from the underground Baoding diocese in Hebei Province have been reported missing.

Fathers Chen Hekun and Chi Huitian are believed to be victims of forced disappearances, according to a report by China Aid on 22 May.

Baoding diocese, one of China's largest underground Catholic jurisdictions, is not recognised by the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).

Incidents of forced disappearances targeting priests resisting the state-sanctioned church have been reported before. Detainees are often subjected to political "re-education" by the Chinese Communist Party, extending their detention until they comply.

Sources

Crux Now

Reuters

UCA News

CathNews New Zealand

All wars are in contradiction with human dignity and "are not destined by their nature to solve problems, but rather to exacerbate them."

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, opened the ‘Peace Table' in Rome with these considerations.

With him this morning, May 10th, were about 30 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Rigoberta Menchù Tum from Guatemala, Dmitrij Muratov from Russia, Tawakkol Karman from Yemen, as well as figures like Machel Mandela, widow of Nelson Mandela, and NASA administrator Bill Nelson.

Read More

Questioning the proportionality of Israel's military operation, Parolin highlighted the significant death toll.

"Israel's right of self-defence which has been invoked to justify this operation must be proportional and, with 30,000 dead, it certainly isn't" Parolin stated.

The Israeli Embassy to the Holy See initially described Parolin's comments as "deplorable". The embassy asserted that Parolin overlooked pertinent facts when assessing the legitimacy of Israel's actions.

Accusing Hamas of transforming Gaza into a significant terrorist stronghold, the Israeli Embassy defended the actions of the Israeli armed forces (IDF). They cited compliance with international law and compared civilian casualty rates to other conflicts.

Pope Francis has consistently denounced violence in the Middle East, yet comments involving Israel are particularly sensitive due to historical and cultural complexities.

Tensions between the Vatican and Israel have escalated since the Gaza conflict began, with Israeli groups accusing Pope Francis of failing to recognise Israeli actions as self-defensive after Hamas attacks.

Rabbis thank Pope

Meanwhile, a group of Rabbis and scholars specialising in Jewish-Christian dialogue have penned a heartfelt letter to Pope Francis, expressing profound gratitude for his unwavering support of Jews globally.

Signed by prominent figures such as Rabbi Jehoshua Ahrens, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg and others, the letter underscores the transformative impact of the Church's efforts in fostering understanding and friendship between once-opposing communities.

In light of recent tragedies and escalating tensions including the October massacre and the surge in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide, the letter resonates deeply with Pope Francis' call for reconciliation among diverse peoples.

Translation error

In regard to its response to Parolin's statement, the Israeli Embassy later said that "regrettable" would have been a more appropriate word than "deplorable".

The embassy attributed the misunderstanding to a translation error.

The Israeli embassy said the original English text of its statement had used the word "regrettable" and its staff had translated that into "deplorevole" in the Italian version they released.

"A more precise" Italian translation would have been "sfortunata" the embassy said, a word which means something more like unfortunate.

According to Israeli figures, at least 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 taken hostage in a raid by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7.

The offensive that Israel launched in response has so far killed 28,663 Palestinians in Gaza, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run territory.

Sources

AP News

Crux Now

Vatican News

Reuters

"I saw it on the news. What can I say? I am very sorry; I thought the matter could have been resolved differently. Instead, this news surprises us and fills us with sorrow" the cardinal told reporters in Rome.

The sudden death of Navalny has reverberated globally, prompting sorrow and accusations against Russian authorities.

Navalny, known for his opposition to President Vladimir Putin, died at 47 in the Arctic penal colony IK-3, where he was serving a 19-year sentence.

Navalny was one of the most prominent faces of Russian opposition to Mr Putin's regime. He was serving his sentence in a penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) north of Moscow.

Western governments called on Russia to "urgently clarify" the circumstances surrounding Navalny's demise.

International figures, including G7 foreign ministers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have condemned Navalny's death and criticised Putin's regime.

In the immediate aftermath, the Kremlin said the president had been informed.

Mr Putin has not publicly commented since the Russian prison service announced on Friday that Navalny had taken ill and died.

Foul play asserted

Despite requests, Navalny's mother Lyudmila has not been able to retrieve his body. Reports suggest it won't be released until a post-mortem examination is completed.

Lyudmila was reportedly told by the prison service he died on Friday after collapsing and falling unconscious during a walk.

Navalny's team alleges foul play, accusing Russian authorities of orchestrating his death. They claim the Russian authorities are purposely withholding his body so they can "cover traces".

Russian officials reject assertions of wrongdoing, dismissing them as biased.

The death of Alexei Navalny has sparked protests across Russia, leading to over 400 arrests according to independent Russian human rights monitoring group OVD-Info.

OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia, said arrests had occurred in 36 cities with the largest numbers in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Sources

Vatican News

BBC News

Aljazeera

As illness prevented Francis from attending COP28, he deputed Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (pictured) to deliver his speech.

Francis, who has made defending the environment central to his papacy's social teaching, is the first Pope to address the Conference of the Parties (COP).

Lamenting the lack of progress in fighting climate change, he repeated appeals for multilateralism, calling the world to action. Divisions between people are preventing progress.

"The climate, run amok, is crying out to us to halt this illusion of omnipotence.

"The destruction of the environment is an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal but also structural."

It is a sin "that greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable in our midst and threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.

"Are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death? To all of you, I make this heartfelt appeal: Let us choose life! Let us choose the future!"

Destructive fuels

Global leaders must end using coal, oil and gas, Parolin read on the Pope's behalf.

Embracing renewable energy would help, Francis wrote. This involves "the elimination of fossil fuels and education in less dependent lifestyles.

"Climate change signals the need for major political change. COP28 must be a turning point."

Francis's message resonated with COP28's growing political momentum regarding fossil fuel use - the main source of harmful global warming.

Human activity is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

The obsessive drive for production has caused "an inordinate greed that has made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation".

There is some tension however between accepting fossil fuel's damaging effects and stopping their production and use.

For example COP28's president, Sultan Al-Jaber, is faced with supporting the ecological evidence showing the damage fossil fuels are wreaking on the environment, contrary to his personal business interests.

Phasing out these fuels is "inevitable" he says - even though the oil company he runs has embarked on a major expansion of production.

User pays for poor

Blaming the world's ecological and climate crises on the poor and saying high birth rates are the main problem is unfair, Francis said. The biggest carbon-emitting countries are "responsible for a deeply troubling ecological debt".

It would be fair for these countries to cancel poor nations' financial debts, Parolin read. These debts exist only because of big carbon-emitting countries' excessive use of fossil fuels.

Cafod* responds

"The Pope's message is very well timed as we move into discussions on a global stocktake at COP28" says the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development*.

Leaders must heed his call "not for a partial change, but a new way of making progress together, and for choosing a culture of life over a culture of death."

Source

• BBC
• Crux Now
• Reuters
• Vatican
• CNA

Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has written an official note to the German Bishops' Conference secretary general, Beate Gilles to clarify the Vatican's stance on the German Synodal Path reform proposals.

Non-negotiable issues

Some issues are "non-negotiable", Parolin told Gilles, who shared Parolin'sofficial note with the German diocesan bishops.

These issues include the German Synodal Path project and its debates about the ordination of women and homosexuality.

The Vatican is not considering negotiating the Church's teaching on homosexuality, Parolin wrote.

Nor is it open to debating the letter"Ordinatio Sacerdotalis". That's the letter Pope John Paul II reaffirmed that women were excluded from ordination to the priesthood.

The 23 October letter also reminded the bishops of potential disciplinary consequences for anyone defying Church teaching.

Visit to Rome

In July, German bishops went to Rome to discuss the Synodayl Path with the heads of several Vatican dicasteries.

They tried again after October's Rome-based Synod on Synodality. Among them were German bishops' conference, president Bishop Georg Bätzing and Gilles.

Talks they began with several heads of dicasteries will be continued in 2024, the bishops conference says.

News reports say the heads of the dicasteries for doctrine, ecumenical relations, bishops, liturgy and sacraments, and for legal texts want to meet representatives of the German bishops next January, April and June.

During those meetings, they will discuss what can and cannot be changed in regard to Church doctrine and discipline.

The themes up for discussion include ecclesiology, anthropology, moral teaching and liturgy and the relevant texts of the Synodal Path.

Global reform underway

Although meetings between the German bishops and the Vatican have been arranged, Parolin's letter points out that a global synodal process is underway.

"It is therefore necessary to respect this path of the Universal Church and to avoid the impression that parallel initiatives are underway that are indifferent to the endeavor to 'journey together,'" Parolin wrote.

The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) says there had been pre-Synod movement on reform in the Vatican - within the curia and also between the curia and the pope.

ZdK President Irme Stetter-Karp notes, for example, that Cardinal Parolin had said it was impossible to give women voting rights in the synod because that would contradict canon law.

"And what did our pope do? Suddenly it was legal and was put into practice," she says.

Pope Francis recently expressed his concern about concrete initiatives some German dioceses and the Catholic Church in Germany as a whole are taking.

These include establishing a German synodal council, which Francis said threatens to steer the Catholic Church in Germany away from the universal church.

Source

• Katholisch.de
• CNA
• UCA News

"The release of Israeli hostages and the protection of innocent lives in Gaza are at the heart of the problem created by Hamas' attack and the response of the Israeli army," said Parolin.

"They are at the centre of all of our concerns: the pope and the entire international community. The Holy See is ready for any necessary mediation, as always," he said.

Parolin affirmed Israel's right to self-defence while stressing the importance of a "proportionate" response.

During a visit to the Israeli embassy in Rome, Parolin expressed his "deep sentiments of pain and solidarity" regarding the Hamas attack against Israel.

The death toll in Israel has surged to 1,300, with over 3,000 injuries.

Retaliatory airstrikes from Israel have resulted in 1,417 Palestinian casualties and more than 6,250 wounded in Gaza.

Prayers for victims' families

Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims' families and called for the release of all hostages. He also stressed the right to self-defence while expressing concern for the suffering faced by Palestinians in Gaza.

Francis urged restraint, saying "Terrorism and extremism do not help to reach a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians but fuel hatred, violence, and revenge, causing suffering to both sides."

Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See, Raphael Schutz, welcomed the Pope's statement but rejected calls for de-escalation at this time, drawing a parallel between Hamas and ISIS.

Concerns for hostages

Concerns continue to grow about the fate of 150 hostages, including women, children and the elderly, held by Hamas.

Cardinal Parolin condemned the taking of hostages and expressed the Holy See's willingness to assist in negotiating their release.

However, Parolin highlighted the situation's complexity which includes security, Israeli settlements and the status of Jerusalem.

"A solution can be found in direct dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis, encouraged and supported by the international community, even though it will be more difficult now," the cardinal said.

The small Catholic community in Gaza, composed of around 150 families, "is suffering immensely," Parolin said.

"Everything is at a standstill, paralysed as if gripped by fear and anger" Parolin said, saying "Let us pray for the Israelis; let us pray for the Palestinians; let us pray for Christians, Jews and Muslims: For the peace of Jerusalem, pray."

Sources

Reuters

Crux

CathNews New Zealand

The conference was organised after the opening in 2020 of Vatican archives of the pontificate of Pius XII, which led to the discovery of a letter showing that he knew details about the Nazi attempt to exterminate Jews in the Holocaust as early as 1942.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, changed his prepared opening comments to mention the "terrible and despicable attack" against "Israeli brothers and sisters".

Parolin said: "Unfortunately, violence, terrorism, barbarism and extremism undermine the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis."

Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, said: "My thoughts are more there than here."

Read More

The Holy See announced the conclusion of the agreement during a visit to the Vatican by Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, who met with Pope Francis and the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The agreement still falls short of full diplomatic relations, which have been strained for decades. But the two sides have held regular talks since at least 1990 studying the renewal of ties, with Parolin overseeing the process for years, first as foreign minister and now as secretary of state.

Read More

"Homosexual orientation cannot be considered as either cause or aspect typical of the abuser, even more so when it is decoupled from the general arrangement of the person," wrote Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Cardinal Parolin made the comments in the preface to the book "The Pain of the Church in the Face of Abuse," which features contributions from Catholic theologians, psychologists and experts on clergy sexual abuse.

Given his position as the Vatican's second-highest-ranking official, Cardinal Parolin's statements hold significant weight and indirectly challenge the claims made by various right-wing prelates and activists who have sought to establish a link between clergy abuse and homosexuality.

Parolin's remarks are consistent with leading scientific research on the origins of abuse.

A 2011 study commissioned by the US bishops' conference and conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice found no correlation between homosexual identity and the sexual abuse of minors.

The study also revealed that homosexual priests were not more likely to abuse minors than their heterosexual counterparts, aligning with the findings of other studies.

Conservatives connect homosexuality and abuse

Despite pressure from traditionalists and conservative Catholics who have endeavoured to establish a connection between homosexuality and clerical abuse, the Vatican, under Pope Francis, has consistently rejected this association.

During the prominent 2019 Vatican summit on clergy abuse attended by presidents of Catholic bishops' conferences worldwide, attempts to link homosexuality to clerical abuse were firmly repudiated.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, who also serves as an adjunct secretary in the Vatican's doctrinal office, categorically stated that generalising and categorising an entire group of people is unfounded. He emphasised the existence of individual cases rather than labelling entire groups as prone to sin.

Likewise, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, another organiser of the summit, dismissed any connection between homosexuality and abuse, stating that being homosexual does not make individuals more inclined to abuse children compared to heterosexual individuals.

However, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the US bishops' conference, has previously attributed the abuse crisis to homosexuality.

Nevertheless, Jesuit Fr Gerald McGlone, a survivor of clerical abuse and former chief psychologist at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, refuted such claims.

In an article published in the online publication Outreach, McGlone highlighted that the majority of paedophiles and sexual offenders in the United States are white, married, heterosexual males. He stressed the need for a more nuanced approach and greater sensitivity in combating clergy sexual abuse.

Cardinal Parolin, in his preface echoed this sentiment, asserting that reducing an individual to a single aspect of their history or personality is an unfair condemnation.

The cardinal noted that the tragedy of abuse is linked to severe deficiencies in emotional and relational capacities, underscoring the importance of evaluating an individual's overall maturity and psychological well-being in the selection and formation of priests.

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

CathNews New Zealand

Cardinal Alencherry and four members of the Church's Permanent Synod held detailed discussions with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state and Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches on May 4 to amicably settle the five-decade-long liturgy dispute.

"We presented to them the situation in the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly. They listened to us and made an assessment of the situation. The results of the meeting will come in due course," Cardinal Alencherry said in a statement issued on May 8.

Read More