Cardinal Parolin: 'Dialogue and development are the keys for peace'

By Lisa Zengarini

Dialogue remains the key to address the current global conflicts, promote justice and peace, and restore the sense of belonging to a global human family, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York.

The “Pact of the Future” 

The Vatican Secretary of State was speaking at the UN Summit for the Future, which has adopted a “Pact of the Future” aimed at strengthening global governance to address challenges ranging from conflict to climate change and human rights.

The landmark declaration, in which world leaders have pledged concrete actions towards a safer, more peaceful, sustainable and inclusive world for tomorrow’s generations, passed on Sunday by consensus, despite a last-minute proposal for an amendment by some countries.

Reasons for hope

In his address Cardinal Parolin noted that the high-level event  should be a “source and a reason for hope” in the current context of crisis of multilateralism, which, he said, is largely due to an erosion of trust among nations.

This hope, he remarked echoing Pope Francis, is not an optimistic naivety ignoring global challenges, but rather working toward a better tomorrow founded on the principles of the inherent dignity of every human being, the promotion of integral human development and the equality and sovereign dignity of all nations.

Eradication of poverty

Cardinal Parolin pointed to three key issues considered to be a priority by the Holy See, the most important of which is the addressing poverty. “Eradication of poverty  must remain the overarching goal of all future action, bearing in mind that development is the name for peace,” he said, remarking that achieving this goal requires political will also to reform international financial institutions, and implement debt forgiveness strategies for the poorer countries.

Elimination of nuclear weapons

The Vatican Secretary of State then again pleaded for total disarmament, particularly the elimination of nuclear weapons.  He called for setting aside geopolitical interests and resisting economic lobbies so as to “ensure a future in which all human beings can enjoy integral development.”

Regulating AI

Recognizing the importance of technology for the future, Cardinal Parolin then pointed to the pressing necessity to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and proposed a comprehensive regulatory framework that would address ethical concerns, including data protection, accountability, bias, and AI's impact on employment.

The head of the Vatican diplomacy insisted on the need to consider the interests of future generations by creating conditions for human flourishing, addressing challenges like poverty, conflict, and exploitation.

Reservations on  reproductive health rights and gender

While acknowledging the adoption of the "Pact for the Future," Cardinal Parolin also expressed reservations on two controversial  terms commonly used in UN statements: sexual and reproductive health rights and gender. In this regard, he reiterated the Holy See’s position on marriage as a union between a man and a woman and its opposition to  including  abortion in reproductive health.

He also reaffirmed the understanding of gender as rooted in biological sexual identity (male or female).

Bringing his address to a close, Cardinal Parolin called for restoring “genuine dialogue” between nations, echoing Pope Francis’ call for decisive action in the face of increasing global conflicts and inequalities.: “If dignity is the foundation and integral human development is the goal of our future, dialogue is the necessary means”, he said.

The Vatican Secretary of State arrived in New York on Sunday, 22 September, and will stay until 30 September to attend  several high-level events opening of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. He is also expected to preside at a Mass for  the 60th anniversary of Holy See's Permanent Mission to the UN.