New Vatican Secretary of State pledges his service to Pope, Church, world

August 31, 2013 - The Vatican’s new Secretary of State, whom the Pope announced on Saturday, has expressed his gratitude to the Pontiff and pledged his unstinted service to the Catholic Church and the good of the world. “I desire to express deep and affectionate gratitude to the Holy Father, Francis, for the unmerited trust he is showing me, and to make known to him once again my willingness and complete availability to work with him and under his guidance for the greater glory of God, the good of the Holy Church, and the progress and peace of humanity, that humanity might find reasons to live and to hope,” said Archbishop Pietro Parolin, who will assume his post on Oct. 15. In a statement soon after the announcement of his appointment, the 58-year old archbishop, currently Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela, said, “I feel very strongly the grace of this call, which is yet another and the latest of God’s surprises in my life.” He said he felt the full weight of the difficult and challenging mission, but he was entrusting himself to the Lord from whom no one can separate him. He expressed his gratitude to all who have and will support and understand him in his new undertaking. Archbishop Parolin gratefully remembered his family and people in various places he has been and worked, especially in Venezuela which he was sorry to leave. Among them he particularly recalled, Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI and outgoing Secretariat of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Archbishop Parolin invoked the Virgin Mary for courage in his new mission.