Cardinal Parolin voices alarm over killings in Iran, urges peaceful solutions for Iran, Venezuela, and Greenland, and calls for renewed moral education.
Newsroom (19/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a candid exchange with journalists following Mass at the Domus Mariae in Rome, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin delivered a series of forceful remarks touching on crises from Tehran to Caracas. His words, measured yet unmistakably urgent, reflected the growing unease within the Holy See over the persistence of violence and political instability across multiple regions.
The Cardinal began by addressing what he described as an “endless tragedy” unfolding in Iran, where the deaths of protesters have drawn international condemnation. “I ask myself,” Parolin said, “how it is possible to rage against one’s own people, that there have been so many deaths—it is an endless tragedy.” His statement carried not only grief but also a moral reckoning — a pointed question about the legitimacy of power sustained by force. He urged a peaceful resolution, appealing implicitly to both authorities and demonstrators to break the cycle of violence.
Turning to Venezuela, a country long beset by economic and political turmoil, Cardinal Parolin reaffirmed the Vatican’s commitment to mediation and non‑violence. He recalled past efforts to broker dialogue with the government of Nicolás Maduro and other factions. “We had tried to find a solution that would avoid any bloodshed, perhaps by reaching an agreement also with Maduro and with the other representatives of the regime, but this was not possible,” he lamented. Despite the lack of progress, Parolin expressed hope that Venezuela’s “great uncertainty” might evolve toward stability, democratization, and recovery “because the economic situation is truly very precarious.” His reflection underscored both frustration and enduring faith in diplomacy as the Church’s instrument of peace.
When questioned about Greenland and growing geopolitical tensions, the Cardinal turned to the broader principles of international relations. He warned against the temptation to resolve disputes through coercion. “Solutions by force cannot be used,” he emphasized, invoking the cooperative spirit that marked the postwar period but has since, in his view, eroded. Parolin cautioned that asserting power through force alone would bring the world ever closer to “a war within international politics,” a phrase that captured his concern over the fragility of global multilateralism.
In closing, the Cardinal addressed a tragedy that struck much closer to home: the fatal stabbing of a young student in the Italian city of La Spezia. Using the moment to reflect on the moral responsibilities of society, Parolin insisted that education must serve as the primary response to rising youth violence. Beyond policing and punishment, he said, schools and families must “help young people reflect, to value what is positive, without letting themselves be swept along.” His words traced a line connecting the personal and the political — the same principle of human dignity that underpins the Vatican’s diplomacy abroad and its pastoral mission at home.
As Cardinal Parolin’s remarks made clear, the challenges facing nations are intertwined: peace in the streets, stability in the state, and faith in humanity itself remain inseparable. His appeal was neither diplomatic formality nor moral abstraction, but a reminder that compassion, restraint, and education remain the Church’s universal response to the violence of the age.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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