Ms. Di Giovanni, Deputy Secretary-General of the Department of Relations with States and International Organizations of the State Council of the Holy See, was interviewed by this news website before she left office, about the diplomatic work of the Holy See and the role of women.
(Vatican News Network)Francesca Di Giovanni, Undersecretary of the Vatican State Council for Relations with States and International Organizations, will be 70 years old on March 24 this year and will step down from this position. She was the first Under-Secretary-General of the Vatican State Council for Relations with States and International Organizations, responsible for multilateral relations. Ms. Di Giovanni began to serve in the State Council of the Holy See in 1993. She has served three popes and has always devoted herself to the field of multilateral relations. She has rich experience and was appointed by Pope Francis in January 2020 to assume her current position. Ms. Di Giovanni spoke to this news network before leaving office to talk about the Holy See’s diplomatic work and the role of women.
The undersecretary began by describing her work in the Vatican’s State Council, noting that the mission “focuses on the ever-new vision, looking to identify paths of hope and to achieve as much harmony as possible”. In particular, it is necessary to search for God’s wise arrangements “in the journey of mankind to the kingdom of heaven”. “Even when circumstances are so dark and incomprehensible, even when evil seems to have the upper hand”, God still cares for human beings. “From this point of view, the Vatican State Council’s Department of Relations with States and International Organizations is of course not only a special observatory, but also an excellent tool for dialogue with all parties.”
Ms. Di Giovanni explained, “The Holy See always strives to be impartial in its diplomatic work, because the only concern of the Holy See’s diplomatic work is to accompany countries to create peace, build justice, cooperate with each other, promote the common good, respect the dignity and rights, in order to live out brotherhood not only between people, but also between nations.”
Speaking of her appointment as Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Di Giovanni said, “For the Vatican State Council, this is of course new. I therefore call my appointment a ‘prophetic appointment’. , and I think this will become the norm in the future: Pope Francis wants more women in decision-making, including here. As for the working environment, it is well known that the sector is staffed from different geographical regions, both men and women , both priests and lay people. It is precisely this characteristic of the environment in which everyone can contribute, which makes the work work and meets the requirements of this field in the context of different multilateral relations and promotes the mission of the Pope and the Holy See. “.
Regarding the special role of women in peacemaking, Ms. Di Giovanni pointed out, “Today we see more and more women playing key roles in political life, in international society and in peace processes: as Pope Francis has encouraged and Yes, we hope that more and more women will be involved in this field. When women are heard on an equal footing with men and women, the intuition and gifts women use to make peace can lead to healthy and fruitful collaborations with men “.
Overall, “women tend to be creative and insist on finding forms of cooperation rather than competition, intimidation, or confrontation. Women tend to focus on the dimension of interpersonal relationships, interaction mechanisms, intercultural and transsexual dimensions in local groups, and Issues pertaining to everyday life, or the need to take care of life at different stages of life. Women also play an important role in maintaining and teaching peace. Clearly, this is not to exclude the rational qualities of men, but to embrace them in common reflection different thoughts”.
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