Cardinal Parolin offers best wishes to Trump on election victory
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Gregorian University, the Cardinal Secretary of State expressed his hope that US President-elect Trump will govern wisely, “because that is the main virtue of leaders according to the Bible.”
By Christopher Wells
Following the US presidential elections, Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters: “Of course we wish (Trump) good luck. At the beginning of his mandate, we wish him much wisdom, because this is the main virtue of leaders according to the Bible.
The Cardinal added that the elected president will have to work “above all to be the president of the whole country” in order to overcome the polarization that increasingly marks our time. At the same time, he expressed his hope that Trump would be “an element of detente and pacification in the current conflicts which are bloodying his world”.
End the war
Asked about Trump’s promises to end several ongoing wars, Cardinal Parolin responded, “Let’s hope,” while acknowledging, “I don’t think he has a magic wand.” He stressed that ending war requires humility, willpower and the desire to pursue the interests of humanity as a whole, rather than focusing on particular interests.
Regarding the conflicts in Ukraine and the Holy Land, the secretary of state noted that Trump has not explained concretely how he plans to work to end the wars. “Let’s see what he comes up with after he takes office,” Parolin said.
Migration: the position of the Holy See is clear
In response to questions about Trump’s promise to expel “millions” of immigrants from the United States, Cardinal Parolin said: “It seems to me that the position of the Pope and the Holy See is very clear in this regard . We are for a wise policy towards immigrants and therefore one which does not go to these extremes.”
He added that Pope Francis has given “very precise, very clear” indications regarding migration, adding “I believe that this is the only way to approach the problems and resolve them in a humane way.”
Defense of life
Cardinal Parolin acknowledged that there are some issues on which Trump’s policies align more closely with the Holy See’s positions, such as the “defense of life.”
However, the cardinal said: “I think this should be a common policy; it should try to bring together a consensus on this issue and not become a policy of polarization and division again.”
He stressed the need to listen to each other and said he hoped Trump’s promises to defend life “will expand consensus in that sense as well.”
Dialogue for the common good
Cardinal Parolin said he did not think the relationship between the Holy See and the United States would change with the new administration, as he noted: “We have maintained relations with President Trump even during his previous mandate, so more or less we will continue to do it. .”
Recognizing the proximity on certain issues and the divergences on others, Cardinal Parolin declared that this will be an opportunity to exercise dialogue and to try to find together more points of consensus, always for the benefit of the common good and peace in the world.
Relations with China
Finally, responding to a question about the Holy See’s relations with China, Cardinal Parolin said: “We have made progress with China…the dialogue is ongoing, in small steps but continuous, so we confirm this line. »
While acknowledging American reactions to this policy, Cardinal Parolin insisted that the Holy See’s interest in China “is essentially an ecclesial interest” and that greater recognition of this orientation could change the ” evaluations” of the relationship by other nations.
