Cardinal Parolin: Navalny's death surprises us and fills us with sorrow

By Salvatore Cernuzio

The news of the death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian dissident and one of the main opponents of President Vladimir Putin, is "surprising" and "fills us with sorrow," said Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on the evening of Friday, 16 February.

Navalny passed away today at the age of 47 in the Arctic penal colony IK-3, where he had been held since 2021, serving a 19-year sentence.

Cardinal Parolin was speaking on the sidelines of a Mass he presided over at the Church of the Gesù in Rome for the commemoration of the 106th anniversary of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania.

The cardinal's statements

"I saw it on the news, what can I say? I am very sorry; I thought the matter could have been resolved differently. Instead, this news surprises us and fills us with sorrow," the cardinal told reporters outside the church.

When asked if this event changes the position of the Holy See towards Russia, Parolin replied: "It is premature to say such things... We have just learned about it."