The Holy See “is always ready to help” in a negotiation for which “it is never too late”, says Cardinal Parolin
On the day that the Russian and Ukrainian delegations began to talk in the Belarusian town of Gomel, the Vatican offered itself as a mediator to help resolve the conflict that broke out last Thursday with the start of the Russian invasion. He did so through the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who stated that the tiny State “is always ready to help” in the negotiations.
In an interview with several Italian newspapers, Parolin said there was room for talks while calling for an immediate halt to the military strikes ordered by Moscow. “Dialogue is the only reasonable and constructive way to smooth out differences, as the Pope never tires of repeating,” said Parolin, recalling the visit that the Pontiff made last Friday to the Russian embassy to the Holy See. It was an unusual gesture with which the Pope personally conveyed to the diplomatic representative of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, his request that he put an end to the fighting in Ukraine.
The eventual mediation work of the Holy See in the conflict would only become a reality if both parties agreed to it. This would repeat a situation that has already occurred successfully on two occasions during the pontificate of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The Vatican played a leading role in helping the United States and Cuba normalize their relations in 2014 and also helped promote the peace agreement signed by the Colombian government with the FARC guerrillas in 2016.
“It’s never too late” for dialogue, Parolin remarked, confessing that he “trembles” at the prospect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The eventual return to a new Cold War with two opposing blocs is a truly disturbing scenario,” said the ‘number two’ of the Vatican hierarchy, warning that it would be “a gigantic catastrophe” if the war spread to other countries.
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