4 April 2017 | Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets with Cardinal Pietro Parolin in Vatican City, Vatican. (c) Tim Rooke - Pool / Getty Images

Il Vaticano scrive ai vescovi tedeschi: su donne prete e atti omosessuali non si discute

Il cardinale segretario di Stato Pietro Parolin informa i vescovi tedeschi che l’ordinazione sacerdotale riservata agli uomini e l’insegnamento della Chiesa sull’omosessualità non sono negoziabili: è esclusa una via speciale tedesca. Continue reading Untitled

View On WordPress

La Santa Sede Ofrece Mediación para el Conflicto entre Israel y Hamás

El secretario de Estado del Vaticano, Pietro Parolin, ha ofrecido la mediación de la Santa Sede para acabar con el conflicto entre Israel y la milicia palestina Hamás y ha pedido la liberación de los rehenes israelíes y la protección de la vida de los inocentes en la Franja de Gaza. Parolin tacha de “inhumano” el ataque perpetrado por Hamás contra el Estado de Israel, pero pide proporcionalidad…

View On WordPress

Il card. Parolin: no a “manipolazioni storiche”, Pio XII “ha seguito sia la strada della diplomazia che della resistenza segreta”

“Grazie alla recente apertura degli archivi, è divenuto più evidente che Papa Pio XII ha seguito sia la via della diplomazia che quella della resistenza segreta”. Lo ha detto il card. Pietro Parolin, segretario di Stato vaticano, aprendo questo il convegno organizzato dalla Pontificia Università Gregoriana sui “Nuovi documenti del pontificato di Papa Pio XII e il loro significato per le relazioni…

View On WordPress

San Pietro si svuota mentre il rito antico registra il boom

Corpus Domini alla chetichella in Vaticano e flop totale dell’evento organizzato dal card. Gambetti: cinque ore di spettacoli, l’ennesima dichiarazione e la piazza vuota come le chiacchiere sulla “fraternità umana”, dimostrano che i fedeli cercano qualcosa di eterno e vanno a bere ad altre fonti. Come le realtà legate alla liturgia tradizionale, la cui vitalità dovrebbe porre più di qualche…

View On WordPress

Le premier ministre congolais et le représentant du Souverain pontife s'engagent à œuvrer ensemble pour le bien-être de la population congolaise

Le premier ministre congolais et le représentant du Souverain pontife s’engagent à œuvrer ensemble pour le bien-être de la population congolaise

Le Premier Ministre Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde et le représentant du Pape François le cardinal Pietro Parolin, et secrétaire d’État du Saint-Siège ont présidé ensemble, ce 02 juillet 2022, à la primature, la cérémonie de signature de cinq (5) accords spécifiques. Particulièrement l’accord sur l’éducation, l’accord sur la pastorale de l’église dans les établissements pénitentiaires et la garde des…

View On WordPress

Kirill must not be Putin's altar boy, says Pope

Kirill must not be Putin’s altar boy, says Pope

Pope Francis has warned the leader of Russia’s Orthodox Church that he “cannot become Putin’s altar boy.” In a recent media interview Francis says Patriarch Kirill’s support of the war in Ukraine became clear to him during their 40-minute zoom discussion in March. In this, Kirill spent half the time reading out justifications for President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “I listened and…

View On WordPress

Ma i cattolici devono fare una scelta "netta" per la guerra? - di Giancarlo Infante

Ma i cattolici devono fare una scelta “netta” per la guerra? – di Giancarlo Infante

Con un pezzo che fa onore alla sua capacità di sintesi, anche su temi complessi, Antonio Polito è intervenuto su Il Corriere della sera per sostenere che i cattolici democratici hanno fatto delle “scelte nette” sulla guerra in Ucraina, anche sulla base della distinzione “tra pace e pacifismo” elaborata da tempo dalla cultura cattolicodemocratica. Ora c’è da rendersi conto che i giornali seguono…

View On WordPress

Pope Francis canceled meetings on Friday morning due to a fever, a Vatican spokesman confirmed.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told CNA that “due to a feverish condition, Pope Francis did not receive [anyone] in audience this morning.”

Later in the day, journalists spoke to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, who spoke briefly about the pope's condition.

"The pope was tired. He had a very, very busy day yesterday," Parolin said, according to the French-language media outlet La Presse. "They were telling me last night that he met with a lot of people, and in the context of this meeting with Scholas Occurrentes, he wanted to greet them all, and probably at some point the stamina fails."

As of Friday afternoon, the pope does not have any public appointments scheduled for May 27, according to the Vatican calendar. He is currently scheduled to say Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the solemnity of Pentecost on May 28, followed by the recitation of the Regina Caeli antiphon.

📷 Cour Grand-Ducale

🇱🇺 Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

“H.A.R. the Crown Grand-Duke received in the audience His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State at the Holy See, on a working visit to Luxembourg. European and international current topics, including the situation in Ukraine, were at the heart of the exchange.”

10 November 2022: King Abdullah II, accompanied by Queen Rania, met with Pope Francis during a visit to the Vatican City.

The meeting focused on the need to promote interfaith dialogue, harmony, and coexistence, as well as safeguarding the Christian presence in the region. Discussions at the meeting—attended by Prince Ghazi, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy—underscored the importance of maintaining efforts to achieve peace in order for peoples to live in security and stability. King Abdullah II lauded the Pope’s positions on regional issues. His Majesty also held an expanded meeting with Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Pietro Parolin, during which the connection between security and peace was highlighted, and the importance of breaking the stalemate in the Middle East peace process was affirmed as critical for bolstering regional security and stability, and promoting harmony in the region. (Source: Petra)

During the meeting, also attended by Prince Ghazi, the King and Cardinal Parolin highlighted Jerusalem as key to achieving peace in the region, noting that any attempts to alter its historical and legal status quo will undermine the rights of worshippers in the holy city. The Cardinal noted Jordan’s vital role in safeguarding holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship, and in a manner that preserves the city's identity as a symbol of peace. Cardinal Parolin commended Jordan’s efforts, under His Majesty’s leadership, to safeguard the Christian presence in the region as an integral part of the Middle East’s past, present, and future, and its demographic composition. The King expressed Jordan’s keenness to preserve and restore Christian religious sites, especially the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (Bethany beyond the Jordan), located on the East Bank of the Jordan River. His Majesty said the Baptism Site receives the utmost care, noting that the upcoming phase will be marked by further development and improvement to the facilities and services provided to visitors and Christian pilgrims, within Jordan’s commitment to the freedom of worship. The meeting also covered the latest international developments and the need for joint action to achieve peace. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Jordan’s non-resident Ambassador to the Vatican Makram Queisi attended the meeting on the Jordanian side, while Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organisations, and Monsignor Marco Formica attended the meeting from the Vatican.

The arrest of prominent pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, including 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen, is raising concerns among some members of the city's Catholic community that the national security law (NSL) could also threaten religious freedom.

Last week, Hong Kong's national security police arrested Zen and four other pro-democracy figures, including barrister Margaret ​Ng, singer and activist Denise Ho, academic Po-keung Hui and imprisoned activist Cyd Ho, for the alleged crime of "collusion with foreign forces."

They were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which provided legal and financial support to thousands of protesters facing charges related to their participation in the 2019 anti-extradition bill protest.

Even though the fund ceased operation in 2021, Hong Kong police accused the five of urging foreign governments to impose sanctions on the Chinese special administrative region, which is viewed as an act endangering national security.

While four of the defendants were released on bail, Zen's arrest still sent shockwaves through Hong Kong's Catholic community.

"Some of us felt very angry about the arrest," said Ms. Wong, a Catholic, who asked to be identified only by her last name.

Other analysts describe the arrest of Zen as an indication that the NSL has been "weaponized" to crack down on a wide range of non-violent public activities in Hong Kong. "It is chilling to those who are supporting political prisoners waiting for criminal trials," said Eric Lai, a Hong Kong law fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law.

Hong Kong Chief Executive-elect John Lee told a radio show host, regarding Zen's arrest, that threats to national security should be handled "in accordance with the law."

"In any place, there will be people whose background means they have a special kind of support, but if their behavior involves offending the law, it must be handled in accordance with the law," he said.

Catholic Church defends itself 

On May 12, the Hong Kong Catholic Social Communications Office said it was extremely concerned about Zen's arrest, and stated that the Church has always upheld the rule of law. "We trust that in the future we will continue enjoying religious freedom in Hong Kong under the Basic Law," the office said in a statement.

However, Wong says many in the Catholic community worry that the Church could become more similar to churches in China under the NSL.

"We have to expect something like the patriotic association in China to emerge in Hong Kong too," Wong told DW. "They could make Catholic followers in Hong Kong register with churches and make those who are faithful to the Vatican or people like Cardinal Zen have to go underground."

Several Western countries quickly criticized the incident, with the US State Department saying that the arrests show authorities in Hong Kong will "pursue all means necessary to stifle dissent and undercut protected rights and freedoms." Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong under British rule, said the arrest of Zen shows how the Chinese Communist Party is "hellbent on turning Hong Kong into a police state."

China's Foreign Ministry hit back at the criticisms on May 12, urging foreign governments who try to intervene to "immediately stop their clumsy political show filled with ideological biases." The ministry also called on other countries to "immediately stop intervening in Hong Kong and China's affairs."

Vatican expresses concern

Meanwhile, the Vatican has expressed concern about Zen's arrest, saying it is following the development of the situation very closely. However, Zen's arrest comes at a time when a deal between the Vatican and China to appoint bishops is due to expire in October.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, said on May 13 that he was saddened by the arrest of Zen, but he hoped it wouldn't be read as a "disavowal" of the agreement between the Holy See and Beijing. "The most concrete hope is that initiatives such as this one will not complicate the already-complex and not-simple path of dialogue," he said on the sidelines of an event on Pope John Paul I.

Some members of Hong Kong's Catholic community described Cardinal Parolin's comments as "shameful" and said the Vatican shouldn't try to separate Zen's arrest from its deal with Beijing. "He is not protecting his brothers and instead, he is only talking about politics," said Mr. Cheung, who asked to be identified by his last name.

A former bishop of Hong Kong, Zen has long been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party. He has also been a supporter of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.Zen opposed Hong Kong's plan to enact national security laws under Article 23 of the Basic Law in 2003, and he also took part in the Occupy Central movement in 2014. 

There are about 400,000 Catholics in Hong Kong, and it remains a very politically divided community. While some in the Church disagree with Zen's stance on some sensitive issues, others in Hong Kong's civil society describe him as a "principled person" who is well-loved by many Hong Kongers. "Cardinal Zen has been very helpful to us and he has contributed to social justice in Hong Kong over the years," said Wong.

Just like Zen, some observers say the Catholic Church has been an important social institution in Hong Kong for decades. "For so long, the Catholic leadership has been an integral part of Hong Kong's civil society," said Maya Wang, the senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"The Catholic Church has a very long tradition of running schools in Hong Kong. Lots of poor kids are educated in Catholic institutions and they continue to hold respect and genuine love for the Catholic Church," she added.

Can the Catholic community preserve its tradition?

Apart from the increased level of risks facing those who are active in the public sphere, some of Hong Kong's Catholics are also wondering whether they can continue the decades-long tradition of organizing commemorations for the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre on June 4, 1989.

Last week, the Financial Times reported that Catholic leaders in Hong Kong recently decided to cancel the commemoration, and when DW approached some members, they declined to confirm whether the decision was final or not. "For the last three decades, the Catholic Church in Hong Kong has done our best to commemorate the June 4 victims," Wong told DW.

"Now that the situation in Hong Kong has changed, we have to reorganize ourselves, and we can't depend on these churches to organize the mass for us. We can pray for the victims by ourselves and we can do our own commemoration," she added.

Others say that while every parish has the right to decide whether they want to hold a June 4 commemoration or not, Zen's arrest already allows many churches in Hong Kong to see the potential impact of the NSL on religious freedom.

"I'm pretty sure most Catholic churches in Hong Kong will now be deterred from holding any commemoration of June 4 this year," said Cheung. "When even such an important religious leader isn't spared from the National Security Law, we can only wonder whether the government is willing to do whatever it can to silence all critics."

Wang from Human Rights Watch added that it will be difficult for Hong Kong to maintain its tradition of commemorating June 4. "It is a very sensitive date for the Chinese Communist Party, and I think it's very clear that they intend to stamp out the commemoration of the event altogether," she said.

Saro Urzi, Stefania Sandrelli, and Aldo Puglisi in Seduced and Abandoned (Pietro Germi, 1964) Cast: Stefania Sandrelli, Saro Urzi, Aldo Puglisi, Lando Buzzanca, Lola Braccini, Leopoldo Trieste, Umberto Spadaro, Paola Biggio, Rocco D'Assunta, Oreste Palella, Lina Lagalla, Gustavo D'Arpe, Rosetta Urzi, Roberta Narbonne, Vincenzo Licata, Attilio Martella, Adelino Campardo, Salvatore Fazio, Italia Spadaro. Screenplay: Pietro Germi, Luciano Vincenzoni, Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli. Cinematography: Aiace Parolin. Art direction: Carlo Egidi. Film editing: Roberto Cinquini. Music: Carlo Rustichelli. Bigotry is fun to watch, as long as it's someone else's. There's no fun to be had from the story about the high school valedictorian who was kicked out of the house for being gay, even though it had a happy ending: He received a full college scholarship. That's because it hits too close to where we live: a United States beset by bigots often sanctioned by our government. Pietro Germi's Seduced and Abandoned delighted audiences because it made them feel superior to the small-minded, small town Sicilians who cause such a ruckus over Agnese Ascalone's (Stefania Sandrelli) out-of-wedlock pregnancy. To them, the story was much ado about "honor," a concept long regarded as outmoded ever since it was mocked by Shakespeare's Falstaff, and the notion that things could be set right by marriage, even if the marrying couple was a rapist and his victim. In this case, however, the seducer, Peppino ( Aldo Puglisi), refuses to marry Agnese, whom he impregnated, because she's not a virgin -- no matter that it's his fault that she isn't. Much raucous but edgy humor ensues from this Catch-22, as the irascible head of the Ascalone family, played wonderfully by Saro Urzi, tries to work out the complications while maintaining the family honor -- a word that will be engraved on his tombstone. Seduced and Abandoned is a keen-eyed, cold-hearted film that works best if you realize that Germi and his screenwriters are making a point about the danger of imposing societal values on private matters, the risk run in communities of all constituencies and convictions.

Bergoglio ohne Bergoglio – Kardinal Parolin bringt sich in Position für das Konklave

katholisches.info: (Rom) Kardinalstaatssekretär Pietro Parolin befindet sich im Wahlkampf für das kommende Konklave und läßt dies deutlicher als bisher wissen. Am vergangenen Mittwoch, dem 24. April, stellte der RAI-Vatikanist Ignazio Ingrao im ehemaligen Collegio Romano, dem 1870 vom italienischen Staat beseitigten Jesuitenkolleg, das seit 1975 Sitz des italienischen Kulturministeriums ist, sein neues Buch „Die fünf Fragen, ... http://dlvr.it/T696hf

Diplomazia vaticana a pezzi

Il trattamento sprezzante riservato a Francesco dal presidente ucraino Zelenski è stato imbarazzante per il papa e il Vaticano. Sono stati commessi gravi errori, proprio dal punto di vista diplomatico. La Chiesa cattolica ha il compito di insegnare la giustizia e la salvezza in Cristo. Non deve scendere ai livelli dei potenti di questa terra. Continue reading Untitled

View On WordPress

Le cardinal Pietro Parolin est arrivé à Kinshasa

Le cardinal Pietro Parolin est arrivé à Kinshasa

Kinshasa le Chef de l’État, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, a reçu ce samedi matin le Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secrétaire d’État du Vatican. Ce dernier en visite officielle en RDC est porteur d’un message du Pape François pour le Président Tshisekedi. https://twitter.com/Presidence_RDC/status/1543213268675842049?t=9Zx3z-kXSlV-8zaYp8ASbw&s=09 Le Secrétaire d’État du Saint-Siège a décollé du…

View On WordPress