Peace and justice: voices that continue to rise in various regions of the world as pillars of order in actions. The condemnation of the use of force to resolve conflicts, the need for solutions that involve education, training and research. Diplomacy as a way to build the common good and, for those who work in the Holy See, the commitment to share the suffering of people and heal it with evangelical hope. These are some of the points that Cardinal Pietro Parolin highlighted in his inaugural speech, “Peace and Justice in the Diplomatic Action of the Holy See before New Challenges.”
The Secretary of State intervened in the conference held this morning, January 17th, in the Ducal Hall of the Apostolic Palace, on the occasion of the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. The conference focused on the theme “The Holy See’s Diplomatic Action in the Face of New Global Challenges.”
As Cardinal Protector and Great Chancellor of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Parolin, on the feast day of Saint Anthony Abbot, patron of the institution, recalled the Academy’ s purpose: to prepare young priests for the diplomatic service of the Holy See, becoming, as he emphasized, “builders of peace”. In his speech, the Secretary of State highlighted the “critical, at a minimum, context for international relations”, characterized by “the scars of war, violations of human life, destruction, uncertainty, and a widespread sense of disorientation”.
The force of arms and the will to power now underpin political decisions, and in this sense, we must recognize that “the international order is no longer that of 80 years ago with the creation of the UN, the United Nations System, and new forms of understanding and cooperation between States, formulated in accordance with international law and within its framework.”
Force replaces justice, war replaces peace
«The fragility of global structures, the increase in tensions even in situations that seemed reconciled, the increase in various types of international crimes, the growing gap between levels of development of peoples and countries» are the result of the substitution of force for justice and the substitution of war for peace. Security, the cardinal emphasizes, requires a broader approach, from food, education, and healthcare to religious security, «which must be guaranteed against violence» from those who relegate the transcendent to a private dimension.
This calls into question principles such as the **self-determination of peoples, territorial sovereignty, and the rules governing warfare itself.** Indeed, we are witnessing the relativization of the entire apparatus constructed by international law in areas such as disarmament, cooperation for development, respect for fundamental rights, intellectual property, trade, and commercial transit.
**Multilateralism in crisis**
Therefore, it is necessary to offer effective answers and solutions that abandon the idea of using force, the will to power, and contempt for the rules. “It is time,” Parolin states, “to **contribute to the development of a doctrine that responds to the current situation**, which is at the same time a proposal for education, training and research.” This is a path that the Holy See is pursuing through diplomacy, “seeking at all levels of activity and responsibility the possibility of seeking ways and means to guarantee an international order based on justice and in which the principle and end of coexistence is peace.”
The multilateral system of international relations is in a deep
crisis, and this is evident in the use of substitute rules, in agreements based
solely on the advantage and interest of a few, and in the inability to address
common problems through solutions that involve everyone
The Secretary of State emphasizes that consciousness and reason will no longer tolerate violations of sovereignty in the most diverse forms, the forced displacement of entire populations, changes in the ethnic composition of territories, the deprivation of the necessary means for economic activity, or the limitation of freedoms. The multilateral system of international relations is in a deep crisis, and this is evidenced by the use of substitute norms, agreements based solely on the advantage and interest of a few, and the inability to address common problems through solutions that involve everyone.
Multipolarism
Multilateralism has given way to a multipolarism characterized by the resort to conflict—military, economic, and ideological—which also sustains political orientations and alliance systems. For Cardinal Parolin, “the right of States to guarantee their own security does not authorize the activation of preemptive actions or attacks increasingly distant from international law.” Peace, according to popular belief, seems possible if the enemy is annihilated, and this “can become a people, a nation, an institution, or an economic space that opposes the vision of the strongest at the moment.”
A decisive action is required
According to the cardinal, “a contempt for peace and justice” is “spreading,” which manifests in increasingly violent forms, and the “positions adopted by some actors in international life that contradict the idea and objective of the common good” cannot be ignored. Only multilateral action, the Secretary of State continues, “can prevent, resolve, or govern” the injustices that give rise to conflicts. We need to counter the mindset that war solves problems, despite being inhumane and dehumanizing. We must promote the renewal of intergovernmental institutions, making them functional.
Showing foresight and a healthy realism is the method for overcoming the feeling of helplessness that may arise and for ensuring the conditions capable of overcoming the pain and anguish of victims of conflict and injustice. For the papal diplomat, this means sharing the problems and life itself of people, peoples, and states, with the light that comes from the Risen One and the commitment to bringing the Good News to all peoples.
Pennacchio: Renewal in continuity
In his welcoming address, the president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Monsignor Salvatore Pennacchio, thanked Pope Leo for his message, emphasizing that «technical and scientific preparation, while necessary, cannot be separated from a solid interior life». For the Prelate —who recalled the reform process of the Academy, initiated by Pope Francis with the “Petrine Ministry” chirograph— celebrating the 325th anniversary of the institution means looking at history as “a living heritage, facing the present with responsibility and orienting the future with confidence, aware that the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy is called to renew itself in the continuity of its identity and in the service of the mission of the Holy See».
Buonomo: The Story of a Long Reform
In his speech, the Director Scientific of the Academy, Vincenzo Buonomo, reviewed the stages of the PAE reform, which offers students “a training that integrates the study of legal, historical, political, and economic disciplines with scientific experience.” “An enriching journey,” he explained, “which includes internships at the Secretariat of State and the Pontifical Representations, as well as a missionary year outside the diocese of origin.” A journey to acquire the constituent elements of the Holy See’s diplomatic action “and its ability to act, negotiate, overcome barriers, and develop concrete gestures and actions in favor of peace, religious freedom for all believers, and order among nations.”
Dean Poulides: Diplomacy, a path to peace
The Ambassador of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, George Poulides, recalled that reaching the peripheries of the world is a true mission, because diplomacy is called to be the voice of those who have no voice. Looking at the ambassadors of peace: the Venerable Servant of God Pius XII, Saint John XXIII and Saint Paul VI, who worked in situations of conflict, Poulides emphasized that the Holy See has always been a “voice of peace,” of dialogue with all. Only by reaffirming our full trust in diplomacy as a tool of mutual understanding can we honor the commitment of those who preceded us in this service to humanity, founding the United Nations precisely eighty years ago.
This anniversary—concluded—leads us all to hope for an increasingly renewed promotion and a constant strengthening of international and regional institutions that constitute spaces of understanding between peoples.
Benedetta Capelli
Vatican News / Religión Digital
English version translated with AI