In a lecture hosted by the Italian Embassy in the Holy See and co-organized by the geopolitical magazines Frontiers and Vatican News, Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State for the Holy See, invited the protagonists of international life to work together to end the current war.
(Vatican News Network) Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, spoke at a lecture on the “Spirit of Helsinki” on December 13, talking about Europe and war, and the vision of peace. The meeting was organized by the Italian embassy in the Holy See, with the assistance of the geopolitical magazine Limes and Vatican News. Among those present were some cardinals, ambassadors of several countries, politicians and journalists. The Italian president was unable to attend the meeting after testing positive for the coronavirus.
In his statement, Cardinal Parolin noted that we must work to “reinvigorate the spirit of Helsinki”. In other words, “We need new ways of dealing with current crises, current wars, and the many forgotten wars. We cannot read the current situation in terms of old models, past military alliances, or implanted ideologies and economics.” and look to the future”.
The cardinal quoted relevant teachings of the pope, from John XXIII’s encyclical “Peace in the World” to Pope Francis’ encyclical “All brethren”, and elucidated with the news reported since February 24 this year his thoughts. We see dead civilians, children under the rubble, soldiers killed, evacuees, partially destroyed cities in darkness and cold, the cardinal said. However, there is a danger of “getting used to it” in the face of this pain.
In this sense, the cardinal emphasized that the Pope’s tears in front of the statue of the Virgin are “a powerful antidote against normalcy and indifference”. The Pope also called for “use of all diplomatic avenues, even hitherto unused ones” to “bring peace”. Peace seems to be a distant goal, especially in recent weeks, but there is also “some hope” for restarting negotiations.
Cardinal Parolin also spoke of his concerns because “people are talking again about the use of nuclear weapons and the possibility of nuclear war” and that “some countries in the world have stepped up the rearmament race and invested a lot of money in it”, which Should be used for food, work and medical.
“We cannot but ask ourselves if we are really doing everything, everything possible to end this tragedy!” said the Holy See Secretary of State. He hereby sadly invites all the protagonists of international life to respond to the Pope’s appeal in the reading of the Angelus on October 2, “to do everything possible to stop the present war, not to be involved in a dangerous escalation, but to promote peace. Initiatives to Support Dialogue”.
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