Cardinal Parolin commemorates 60th anniversary of Holy See at UN

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

On Monday, in Midtown, Manhattan, the Holy See's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, celebrated Mass at New York's Holy Family Church on 47th Street.

The special occasion the Vatican Cardinal was commemorating was the 60th anniversary of the presence of the Holy See as an Observer State at the United Nations.

As Cardinal Parolin expressed his delight to celebrate Mass with those gathered, including members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the UN and friends of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See, he recalled that Eucharist means 'thanksgiving', and reminded how Jesus gives thanks by endlessly offering Himself and making a gift of Himself to God and to men.

"I believe," he went on to say, "that there is no better context than the celebration of this Mass to mark the 60th anniversary of the presence of the Holy See as an Observer State at the United Nations and also to express to each of you the thanks of Pope Francis, as well as my own, for the friendship, the support that in many different ways you offer to this Mission in New York."

The Lord's invitation

The Cardinal recalled that Jesus asks us to protect, care for and serve. "Being a Christian," Cardinal Parolin highlighted, "entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it."

"Precisely in this logic of service towards the little ones and those who have no voice," he underscored, "the presence of the Holy See at the level of the international community is placed and finds its reason for being."

Since the Holy See joined the United Nations as an Observer State sixty years ago, he noted how it has continued to champion human dignity and defend human rights, "especially the most fundamental right of all – the right to life."

Moreover, he said, it has been an advocate for social justice and economic development, for the protection of the environment, and has tirelessly spoken out in defence of the defenceless and the forgotten.

Holy See Mission as 'expert in humanity'

Cardinal Parolin quoted late Pope St. Paul VI, who was the first Pope to have visited and address the United Nations' General Assembly on 4 October 1965, who had said the "Holy See Mission offers the wisdom of the Church as an 'expert in humanity.'”

"If we want to follow Jesus, we must follow the path He himself traced out," Cardinal Parolin said, stressing that path is "the path of service."

We are to serve those who need to receive and cannot give anything in return, the Vatican Secretary of State insisted. "In welcoming those on the margins and the neglected, " he said, "we welcome Jesus because He is there."

Recommitting ourselves to making peace a lived reality

At a subsequent reception held at the undercroft of the Church, the Cardinal reiterated that in a world "increasingly fragmented by narrow interests," we "must remember that we are all members of one human family." 

"Let us, therefore," Cardinal Parolin said, "recommit ourselves to the vision of a world where peace, justice, and human dignity are not mere aspirations, but lived realities for all."

Fruitful collaboration working toward better world

The Cardinal thanked representatives of the UN and of its Member States for this long-lasting fruitful collaboration.

"May the next 60 years, and beyond," he said, "see us continue to work together in harmony, guided by our shared values and our common hope for a better world."

Cardinal Parolin likewise extended his heartfelt gratitude to all the Permanent Observers and their collaborators who, over the years, have ensured the Holy See’s presence at the UN and "have been the voice proclaiming that message of love rooted in faith and reason."

"I say to you, on behalf of the Holy Father," Cardinal Parolin conveyed, "a heartfelt thank you for representing him at the United Nations...

"I invite you now to raise a glass in a toast … to the Holy Father, Pope Francis."