Cardinal Parolin commemorates 60th anniversary of Holy See at UN

Deborah Castellano Lubov

On Monday in Midtown, Manhattan, Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrated Mass at New York’s Holy Family Church on 47th Street.

The special occasion that the Vatican cardinal was commemorating was the 60th anniversary of the Holy See’s presence as an observer state at the United Nations.

While Cardinal Parolin expressed his joy in celebrating Mass with those gathered, including members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the UN and friends of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See, he recalled that the The Eucharist means “thanksgiving” and is a reminder of how Jesus gives thanks. by constantly offering himself and making a gift of himself to God and to men.

“I believe,” he added, “that there is no better context than the celebration of this Mass to mark the 60th anniversary of the presence of the Holy See as an observer state among the United Nations and also to express to each of you the thanks of Pope Francis, as well as mine, for the friendship, the support that you offer in various ways to this New York Mission.”

The Lord’s Invitation

The Cardinal recalled that Jesus asks us to protect, care and serve. “To be a Christian,” underlined Cardinal Parolin, “is to promote the dignity of our brothers, to fight for it, to live for it.”

“It is precisely in this logic of service towards the smallest and those who have no voice”, he underlined, “the presence of the Holy See at the level of the international community is inscribed and finds its reason for being.

Since the Holy See joined the United Nations as an observer state sixty years ago, it has highlighted how it has continued to uphold human dignity and uphold human rights, “especially the right the most fundamental of all: the right to life.”

Furthermore, he added, the country stands for social justice and economic development, environmental protection and has tirelessly spoken out in favor of the defenseless and forgotten.

The Mission of the Holy See as an “expert in humanity”

Cardinal Parolin cited the late Pope Saint Paul VI, who was the first pope to visit and address the United Nations General Assembly on October 4, 1965, who said that “the mission of the Holy See offers the wisdom of the Church as an expert in humanity.'”

“If we want to follow Jesus, we must follow the path that he himself traced,” said Cardinal Parolin, emphasizing that this path is “the path of service.”

We must serve those who need to receive and can give nothing in return, insisted the Vatican Secretary of State. “By welcoming those who are marginalized and neglected,” he said, “we welcome Jesus because he is there.”

Recommit ourselves to making peace a lived reality

At a subsequent reception held in the basement of the Church, the cardinal reiterated that in a world “increasingly fragmented by narrow interests,” we “must remember that we are all members of one only human family.

“Therefore,” Cardinal Parolin said, “let us reaffirm our commitment to a vision of a world where peace, justice and human dignity are not mere aspirations, but lived realities for all.

A fruitful collaboration for a better world

The Cardinal thanked the representatives of the UN and its Member States for this long-term fruitful collaboration.

“May the next 60 years, and beyond,” he said, “see us continue to work together in harmony, guided by our shared values ​​and our shared hope for a better world.”

Cardinal Parolin also expressed his deep gratitude to all the permanent observers and their collaborators who, over the years, have ensured the presence of the Holy See at the UN and “have been the voice proclaiming this deep-rooted message of love in faith and reason.

“I say to you, in the name of the Holy Father,” Cardinal Parolin transmitted, “a sincere thank you for having represented him at the United Nations…

“I now invite you to raise a glass in a toast… to the Holy Father, Pope Francis.”