![Cardinal in a black cassock with red trim and red skullcap, seated in a leather chair with a microphone nearby.”] ,](https://www.gaudiumpress.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Cardinal-Muller--218x150.jpg "Tradition, Authority, and Division: An Interview on the Society of St. Pius X and Vatican II")
Cardinal Parolin urges leaders to heed the cry of the poor, highlighting faith and fraternity as signs of hope in troubled global times.
Newsroom (02/04/2026 Gaudium Press ) Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, offered a message of hope and moral urgency amid what he called a “worrying” global scenario, emphasizing that even in times of geopolitical strife, humanity’s capacity for faith and fraternity can illuminate a path forward.
Speaking with Fr. Giulio Cesareo, director of the Communication Office of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, on an Italian Franciscan podcast, Cardinal Parolin reflected on the world’s deep divisions and the enduring relevance of St. Francis’ message. The conversation was recorded on March 15, the day the Cardinal presided over Mass in Assisi during the extraordinary display of the saint’s relics, commemorating the 800th anniversary of his death.
Signs of Hope Amid Global Anxiety
“We are all truly worried about what is happening,” the Cardinal admitted, reflecting on today’s complex geopolitical reality. Yet, he added, hope endures through those who refuse resignation—those who “say that a new world is possible, a new society is possible, a new way of living and relating to one another is possible.”
Such perseverance, Parolin suggested, springs from a deep-rooted belief that faith and human fellowship can challenge destructive systems and inspire renewal.
The Role of Faith and Fraternity
Faith, Cardinal Parolin stressed, provides “a great reason for hope” by offering tangible guidance in an increasingly fragmented world. He invoked the enduring call of St. Francis, whose life echoed the Gospel’s invitation to universal love—even love for one’s enemies.
“In a divided world,” Parolin said, “the message that comes to us today from St. Francis, who echoes Jesus’ message, is to love everyone, even our enemies. It is only from this love that we can draw hope: a love that is all things to all people and that seeks to build a reality of peace.”
Transforming the Cry into Action
Parolin’s reflections also carried a challenge—especially to those with influence. He noted that the powerful must not turn a deaf ear to “the cry of protest” from those left behind. That cry, he insisted, must “be transformed into political action.”
Too often, he warned, global leaders “are not very sensitive or attentive to the voice rising from the grassroots.” To counter this apathy, he argued, the Gospel message can awaken consciences and resist normalization of an exploitative “way of living and understanding personal relationships.”
The Enduring Example of St. Francis
The figure of St. Francis, the Cardinal observed, remains a vital symbol in times when “people, rather than ideas,” have the ability to inspire. The great influx of pilgrims to Assisi underscores this truth. “People feel the need to have models and examples before them in their daily lives,” Parolin said, and for many, St. Francis endures as a “message of hope” that aligns with the spirit of the recently concluded Jubilee Year.
Cardinal Parolin’s reflections ultimately offered both a warning and a promise: that renewal is possible if humanity heeds the wisdom of its saints, the cries of its poor, and the power of a faith that binds rather than divides.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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