Cardinal Pietro Parolin calls for renewed diplomacy, disarmament, and global unity amid wars and moral crises threatening human dignity and peace.
Newsroom (08/04/2026 Gaudium Press )In a time fraught with crises, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has voiced deep concern over what he calls the “fragility of diplomacy” and the rising dominance of the “logic of the strongest.” Speaking to the Italian quarterly Dialoghi, the Cardinal urged a resurgence of moral and spiritual commitment to peace, warning that reliance on weapons and power politics imperils humanity’s future.
“It is a utopia to think that peace is guaranteed by weapons and by balances imposed by the strongest,” Parolin stated. “Arsenals must be emptied, starting with nuclear ones.” His call comes amid failed efforts to renew treaties on the reduction of atomic weapons — a failure he says has “given freer rein to the construction of deadly instruments capable of annihilating life on Earth.”
A Cry Against the Madness of War
Parolin’s interview is a lament for a world that seems to have grown comfortable with conflict. “We need more voices for peace,” he declared, “more voices against the madness of the arms race, more voices raised in favor of our poorest brothers and sisters.” He called upon academic institutions, especially Catholic universities, to offer new economic models rooted in justice and care rather than “the idolatry of money.”
The Vatican Secretary of State did not shy away from naming the wounds of current wars. The conflict in Ukraine, he said, remains “a wound at the heart of Christian Europe.” He lamented that the devastation inflicted on Ukraine — its human toll and the destruction of cities — is “not sufficiently perceived.”
Double Standards and the Loss of Diplomacy
Moving from Ukraine to Gaza, Parolin pointed to a troubling inconsistency in global responses. While many governments condemned Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians, he observed, “it does not seem that the same has happened with the tragedy of the destruction of Gaza.” He warned of a “primacy of power” — where nations invoke international law “only when convenient” — eroding the legitimacy of global institutions.
At the root of this moral crisis, Parolin argued, lies the failure of diplomacy itself. “Diplomacy appears mute,” he said, “incapable of activating alternative instruments.” Replaced by force and rhetoric, the art of negotiation — “the art of the possible,” as he called it — risks disappearing.
Reviving Europe and the United Nations
Cardinal Parolin renewed his appeal for a united Europe grounded in shared principles. Recalling Saint John Paul II’s dream of a united continent, he lamented that history has “gone in another direction,” producing instability and inequality rather than freedom and unity. Reviving a sense of European belonging, he said, is crucial to any lasting project of peace.
He also defended the importance of the United Nations. Despite its flaws and the limitations imposed by vetoes, Parolin insisted that the UN remains “essential to restrain the logic of the strongest.” The world, he warned, must not “move from the force of law to the law of force.”
Regarding the Board of Peace, although the Holy See is not a member, Parolin affirmed ongoing dialogue with all involved nations and stressed the need for the participation of Palestinians in shaping Gaza’s future. Ignoring their rights, he said, would violate both justice and international law.
Faith, Consistency, and Human Dignity
In reflecting on the voice of Popes during conflicts, Parolin cautioned that even papal appeals become “a voice in the desert” if not supported by others. He criticized selective morality in global politics: “We cannot claim to love and defend life while caring only about the unborn,” he noted, “without recognizing that the lives of migrants who die at sea are also lives.”
Turning to international issues, Parolin reaffirmed the Holy See’s stance on Venezuela, Iran, China, and Hong Kong — always consistent, he said, in advocating dialogue, respect for human rights, and non-violence. On China, he clarified that the 2018 provisional agreement concerns solely the appointment of bishops and has helped ensure that “all bishops are in communion with the Pope.”
Defending Humanity in a Digital Age
The Cardinal concluded by focusing on the dangers of dehumanization in an age of technology and polarization. “We must defend humanity and fight against dehumanization,” he urged. On social media, he condemned the spread of “hateful, contemptuous language that shows no respect for others.”
“As Christians,” he said, “we must oppose this drift through our daily witness. Hatred, war, and violence begin when we forget the face of the other.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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