Secretary of State Parolin: interview in Avvenire

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See’s new Secretary of State, Cardinal-designate Pietro Parolin, gave an in-depth interview to the newspaper of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Avvenire, that appeared at the weekend.

Among the themes touched on in the lengthy conversation between Archbishop Parolin and Stefania Falasca of the Italian Bishops’ daily Avvenire, were: working with Pope Francis, the role of Vatican diplomacy, and the Vatileaks episode, which he described as a “painful season”.

“[It was a matter] that unjustly caused Pope [emeritus] Benedict XVI to suffer unjustly,” he said, adding that it scandalized many people, “[doing no little damage] to the cause of Christ.”

Also in the interview, the Archbishop and Cardinal-designate who took the reins in the Secretary of State late last year explained that he hopes to help the whole Roman Curia become more “streamlined” and “agile” in the service of the Church in the contemporary world.

“[I would like to see the Roman Curia become] less bureaucratic and more efficacious,” he said, “an instrument in the service of the Pope and the bishops, of the universal Church and the particular Churches.”

The Secretary of State went on to discuss issues on the world stage, including the plight of Christians in the Middle East, where the situation “is one of the major concerns of the Holy See.” Speaking of relations with China, Archbishop Parolin expressed the hope, “That trust and understanding among the parties might increase, and that this [goal] might be concretely realized in the resumption of a constructive dialogue with political authorities.” Listen: