Pietro Parolin

His Excellency Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State
See	Titular diocese of Aquipendium
Predecessor	Tarcisio Bertone
Other posts	Titular archbishop of Aquipendium (2009-present)
Orders
Ordination	27 April 1980 by Arnoldo Onisto
Consecration	12 September 2009 by Benedict XVI
Personal details
Birth name	Pietro Parolin
Born	(1955-01-17) 17 January 1955 Schiavon, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Residence	Vatican
Previous post	Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela (2009–2013)
Motto	Nihil nos separabit a caritate Dei (Nothing can separate us from the love of God)

Styles of Pietro Parolin
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Pietro Parolin (/ˈpjetro paroˈliŋ/ born 17 January 1955) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Secretary of State.^[1] He is set to be elevated to the Cardinalate in a consistory scheduled for February the 22nd, 2014. ^[2]

Early life

Parolin was born in Schiavon, Province of Vicenza, as the son of a hardware store manager and an elementary school teacher. He has one sister and a brother. When he was ten years old, his father died in a car accident.^[3] After he was ordained on 27 April 1980, he took up graduate studies in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University and at the same time diplomacy at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. He entered the Holy See's diplomatic service in 1986 at the age of 31, and has served the Holy See as a diplomat for 20 years, in the nunciatures of Nigeria and Mexico.

He served for three years in the Nunciature of Nigeria and another three (1989-1992) in the Nunciature of Mexico. In Nigeria he became familiar with the problems in Christian-Muslim relations. During his time in Mexico he contributed to the final phase of the extensive work begun by Archbishop Girolamo Prigione which led to the legal recognition of the Catholic Church in 1992 and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Mexico. These laborious negotiations led to Mexico officially shedding the country’s secular and anti-clerical imprint, which extended to its Constitution.^[3]

In Rome he was as country director for Spain, Andorra, Italy, San Marino. He speaks Italian, English, French, and Spanish.

Undersecretary of State for Relations with States

Parolin has also been at the forefront of Vatican efforts to approve and implement the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency on 18 September 2006, at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Msgr. Parolin referred to this treaty as "the basis to pursue nuclear disarmament and an important element for further development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes." He said: "Since this treaty is the only multilateral legal instrument currently available, intended to bring about a nuclear weapons-free world, it must not be allowed to be weakened. Humanity deserves no less than the full cooperation of all states in this important matter."

In 2005 Msgr Parolin was awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.^[4]

Concerning recent developments in international negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, the Vatican official reaffirmed "that the present difficulties can and must be overcome through diplomatic channels, making use of all the means that diplomacy has at its disposal and considers necessary to eliminate all the elements which objectively impede mutual trust."

Parolin represented the Vatican in a variety of sensitive assignments, including trips to North Korea and Vietnam as well as the 2007 “Annapolis Conference” on the Middle East convened by the Bush administration.^[5]

As the Vatican’s “deputy foreign minister” he dealt with all the sensitive dossiers on the Holy See’s relations with Vietnam (he was partly responsible for paving the way to full diplomatic relations between the two) and the legal issues between the Vatican and Israel which remain unresolved. At the beginning of Pope Benedict's pontificate, direct contact was re-established with China. It was in this context that Benedict XVI sent Chinese Catholics the June 2007 Letter.^[3]

On 17 August 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Msgr. Parolin to a new position as apostolic nuncio to Venezuela.

Vietnam talks

Talks between the government and Vatican have been held since 1990. Vietnam has one of Asia's largest Catholic populations, with more than 6 million followers. In the latest round of talks, a high-level Vatican delegation has spent the week in Vietnam meeting with top Hanoi officials in the hope of laying the groundwork for formal diplomatic relations. Msgr. Parolin held talks with the Vietnamese government in February 2009 where they agreed that "Vice Minister Quoc Cuong emphasised Vietnam's consistent policy on the freedom of belief as well as the achievements and current situation on religious affairs in Vietnam in recent years. Vice Minister Cuong expressed his wish for the Holy See's active contribution to the life of the Catholic community in Vietnam, the strengthening of solidarity between religions and of the entire Vietnamese population, and the strong cohesion of the Catholic Church in Vietnam with the nation through practical contributions to national construction. During the meeting, the two sides held in-depth and comprehensive discussions on bilateral relations, including issues related to the Catholic Church in Vietnam. The two sides also acknowledged the encouraging development in the relations between Vietnam and the Holy See since 1990. The two sides agreed that the first meeting of the Joint Working Group was a new and important step forward in their bilateral relations and greater efforts should be made to further promote bilateral ties.

"The two sides agreed to hold the second meeting of the Joint Working Group. The time and venue of meeting will be agreed upon in due course."

Nuncio

Archbishop Parolin during a mass in Caracas, July 2012

On 17 August 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Msgr Parolin Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela and Titular Archbishop of Aquipendium. and on 12 September 2009, with Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone and William Cardinal Levada as co-consecrators, conferred episcopal ordination on him and on two other recently appointed apostolic nuncios Gabriele Giordano Caccia and Franco Coppola. Parolin's assignment was expected to be difficult, since conflicts between the State and the Church in Venezuela were on the rise as President Hugo Chavez attempted to advance his socialist revolution.

Secretary of State

On 31 August 2013 Pope Francis announced the appointment of Archbishop Parolin as Secretary of State, and not Pro-Secretary as is the custom for non-cardinals.^[6][7] Archbishop Parolin took office on 15 October. In January 2014 it was announced that he will be elevated to the cardinalate at the next consistory on 22 February 2014. ^[8] This elevation is due to the canonical and diplomatic seniority the position of Vatican Secretary of State normally entails.^[9] Parolin replaces Cardinal Bertone, 78, who is retiring having reached the age limit mandated by Canon Law. Cardinal Bertone, appointed by Francis' predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, had been widely criticised over the 2012 "Vatileaks scandal".^[10]

Archbishop Parolin is, at 58, the youngest Secretary of State since 1929, when Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) was appointed at age 53.

In an interview Archbishop Parolin said Pope Francis has already injected a new impetus into the Vatican's Secretariat of State structure and given a new push for church-led diplomacy. In an interview with the Venezuelan Catholic newspaper, Diario Catolico, Archbishop Parolin said, "The pope's initiatives have given the secretary of state an impetus and have also created a new diplomatic momentum." When asked if he would be spearheading a new diplomatic offensive for peace, he noted that it was a complicated question but said, "Yes, I hope that we can recoup" that drive. "We have this great advantage in respect to other churches, to other religions: We can count on an international institutional presence through diplomacy," he said.^[11]

On 25 October, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., made known the following declaration on the state of health of Secretary of State Parolin: “As is known, he recently underwent a surgical procedure, which took place in Padua in the department of hepatobiliary surgery in the university hospital. The procedure was successful and today Archbishop Parolin will be discharged. “He will remain in Veneto during the coming days to allow a suitable period of rest and recovery, and in order to be able to assume the grave responsibilities of his new role, once fully recovered.^[12]

On 16 December Archbishop Parolin was appointed as a member of the Congregation for Bishops for a five year renewable term.^[13]

See also

• Cardinals created by Francis

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pietro Parolin.

• Pope sends top diplomat to deal with Chavez, by John L Allen, Jr on Aug. 18, 2009, ncronline.org.