Cardinal Parolin reflects on mercy, Holy See’s diplomacy

May 10, 2016

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, served as the Pope’s legate to the National Congress of Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Preaching at the Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus on May 8, Cardinal Parolin said that Pope Francis urges “us to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which are the hallmarks of the Christian life … Let us not allow this Extraordinary Jubilee Year go by without taking its central message to heart and putting it into practice.”

On May 9, Cardinal Parolin delivered a lecture at the University of Vilnius on the Holy See’s diplomacy.

The Holy See, he said, is involved in international organizations for the sake of “promoting peace and in seeking to bring about the conditions necessary to ensure genuine lasting peace, such as respect for human rights, including the right to life and the right to freedom of conscience and religion, humanitarian law, environmental protection, disarmament, adequate care for migrants and refugees, integral human development, sufficient food and water resources, adequate healthcare and education.”

He added:

An approach based on mercy, such as the one adopted by Pope Francis and actively promoted by the Holy See, has much to offer to international diplomacy in its pursuit of peace … In the end, mercy can reach the heart of everyone, not just believers, and today politics and diplomacy need to be infused with the conviction that mercy is capable of overcoming all situations of human misery.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Cardinal Parolin in Vilnius: the diplomacy of the Holy See at the service of peace (Holy See Press Office)