The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, traveled to Norway for the episcopal ordination of new Coadjutor Bishop Frederik Hansen, and expresses the Holy See's hopes for peace in conflict-ridden regions, including Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and Sudan.
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, has been in audience with King Harald and met Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. The following are excerpts from an interview Cardinal Parolin gave to Norway's Catholic media:
– Norway is a very active peacemaker and has participated in – and still participates in – many peace talks at various levels around the world, said Cardinal Parolin, pointing out that this is precisely where the Holy See and Norway have something in common: They are nations that want peace.
– There are conflicts all over the world right now. We need hope; we talked about that, and it is a topic that King Harald also addressed in his recent New Year's speech, said Parolin.
He emphasizes that international relationship building is central to any diplomacy that wants to succeed: – That's why I met King Harald and that's why I met the Foreign Minister. For me, and for the Holy See, contact with Norwegian authorities is important.
We insist on dialogue, negotiation and mutual understanding, so that we can find peaceful solutions to pressing situations.
Call to live in peace
The world appears to be a more unstable place than it has been in decades. Currently, there are wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as significant tensions, even among long-standing Western allies. When Cardinal Parolin and Foreign Minister Barth Eide met, the two experienced diplomats discussed, among other things, Latin America, Ukraine, the Middle East, the 2030 anniversary, and peace and reconciliation efforts.
Cardinal Parolin met with both King Harald and Foreign Minister Barth Eide on Friday, January 17.
– Is there a common area of interest between Norway and the Vatican that makes cooperation possible? If so, what can the two countries cooperate on?
– I would like to emphasize Norway's great contribution to promoting peaceful solutions to conflicts. It is an important part of this nation's calling. Norway is called to work for peace, says the cardinal and tells how Norway is a natural conversation partner for international actors both to reduce tensions and to find paths to peace and reconciliation. Here Norway and the Holy See have something in common.
– This is a good starting point for cooperation. Our diplomacy has, from the very beginning, been aimed at promoting peace and understanding between nations. Norway and the Holy See have the same goals and similar experiences: We have both, in very concrete and practical ways, helped parties to come together to find – if nothing else – a common understanding.
Norway has received many Polish immigrants and Ukrainian refugees. Many of them are particularly concerned about Russia's ongoing aggression.
– So far, the Holy Father's offer of mediation, which has been repeated many times, has not been successful, says Parolin, explaining how the Holy See has laid out a parallel strategy in anticipation that negotiations may become possible or appropriate:
– We are now working with humanitarian aid, so that we can help create the conditions for a future peace. We have prioritized children, and we have worked so that they can return to Ukraine, to their families, from Russia, says Parolin, referring to Cardinal Zuppi's diplomatic initiative in Moscow and Kyiv, which led to a mechanism for the return of children. The Holy See has also worked actively for the release of prisoners of war and the improvement of their conditions in captivity.
– We have experienced three years of so many losses; so much destruction. It is a great humanitarian tragedy. I hope we are approaching the end of the war, says the cardinal, who points out that the new American administration may be able to help. At least they are coming in with new energy and new ideas.
– The first step is to create greater trust between the two warring parties. That is missing now. There is no trust – and that is understandable. In order to establish a just and lasting peace, there must be at least some trust between Russia and Ukraine.
Episcopal Ordination Mass of the New Coadjutor Bishop Frederik Hansen Homily Excerpts:
Delivering Pope Francis’s “greetings and blessing” to Norway’s “small flock” of Catholics, the Cardinal thanked the local community for their acts of spiritual renewal.Cardinal Parolin in his homily said: Every shepherd must never forget: It is the Holy Spirit who will guide us! We cannot fully understand the greatness of his transforming power, but we can experience it to some extent if, like the apostles, we remain open and docile to his action. To truly open our hearts to him means, first of all, to believe with certainty in Jesus as our Savior and Good Shepherd, who has loved us and loves us unconditionally. He constantly leads us to green pastures and waters where we find rest, as the beloved Psalm 23 reminds us. It is a psalm we should all learn by heart, especially in the difficult and dark times of our lives: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Dear brothers and sisters, how comforting it is to remember that the Christian path to holiness is a path of love – love for God and love for one another. As Saint John reminds us: “God is love” ( 1 Jn 4:8 ). Pope Francis speaks of this love often in his encyclical Dilexit Nos , dedicated to the Heart of Christ – no less than 271 times. He reminds us that the world has lost its heart, its love, but that Jesus gives us his own heart. In this Jubilee Year, the call to “return to the heart” is urgent. If we love the Lord with all our heart, we will also be able to love one another, because it is his heart that lives in us and works through us. And where do we get this love from? Where do we find this heart, if not in the sacrament of the Eucharist, where Christ himself gives us his love?
And where do we get this love from? Where do we find this heart, if not in the sacrament of the Eucharist, where Christ himself gives us his love?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for every act that “restores the heart” in your local communities – every true gesture of brotherhood, every act of solidarity that makes your neighbor feel the presence of the heart of Christ. The local church here in Norway, like the church throughout Scandinavia, has done so much to help developing countries, especially by welcoming immigrants and refugees. You have welcomed them with a true Catholic embrace, and for this I ask God to bless and reward you for the charity that you so faithfully live and bear witness to in Norwegian society – a society that has been deeply marked by more than a thousand years of Christian life.
Their charity shines not only in their social work, but also in their ecumenical relations, which are particularly important here. I am thinking in particular of the relationship between Catholics and Lutherans – marked by mutual openness, dialogue and cooperation. This is a “brotherly love” that we must hold dear. The “ecumenism of brotherly love” is as necessary and urgent as ever, as we face the many challenges that the modern world brings to the churches.
Sources: https://www.katolsk.no/nyheter/2025/01/kardinal-parolins-preken-under-bispevielsen
Image: https://www.facebook.com/katolsk.no
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