“We wish him much wisdom,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin said about Donald J. Trump, the day after he was elected as the 47th president of the United States of America.
“At the beginning of his mandate, we wish him much wisdom because that is the principal virtue of those who govern, according to the Bible,” the cardinal said on Nov. 7 . He has been secretary of state in the Vatican since August 2013, a position equivalent to that of prime minister, and has met three U.S. presidents: Barack Obama, Mr. Trump and Joseph R. Biden. Mr. Trump is due to take up his second term as president on Jan. 20, 2025.
Cardinal Parolin’s conversation with journalists was reported by Vatican Media. It took place on the sideline of a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University on “The impact of AI on International Humanitarian Law,” commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.
“I believe [President-elect Trump] will have to work above all to be the president of the whole country, in order to overcome the polarization that is present and that is felt in a very, very clear way at this time,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Holy See, he expressed the hope that the new president “may be an element of easing of tensions and pacification in the current conflicts that are bloodying his world.”
War and peace
Asked about Mr. Trump’s statement during the campaign and after his victory that “I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars,” Cardinal Parolin responded, “Let us hope, we hope, we hope!” But, he added, “I don’t think that even he has a magic wand.” He emphasized that to end war, “there is a need for much humility, much willingness and the need to seek the interests of humanity as a whole, rather than focusing on particular interests.”
“I hope for that,” he said.
When asked about the fears of Ukrainians and Palestinians that President-elect Trump would make peace “at their expense,” the cardinal responded carefully. “Let’s see,” he said. “It’s difficult to say something on these aspects. Let’s see what proposals he will make because many things [he said] remain uncertain. For example, that famous phrase, ‘I will end the war the day after [taking office]’: but how [will he do it]? No one has been able to say this, and not even he has given concrete indications of how [he will] do it.”
“Let’s see what he will propose after he takes office,” Cardinal Parolin said.
Migration
In response to questions about Mr. Trump’s promise during the campaign to deport “millions” of illegal immigrants living in the United States, Cardinal Parolin said, “The position of the pope and of the Holy See is very clear on the issue of immigration.” Moreover, he said, “we are for a wise policy toward migrants” that does not lead to extreme policies.
He recalled that Pope Francis has given “very precise, very clear” indications concerning migration, and said, “I believe this is the only way to address the problem and to resolve it in a humane manner.”
Defense of life
Cardinal Parolin agreed with journalists that beyond the differences in some areas, there are some other issues where Mr. Trump’s policies align more closely with the positions of the Holy See, such as on the “defense of life” and the condemnation of abortion. “It is true, the defense of life is one of the important issues,” but he recommended that on this “there should be a common policy,” there should be an effort “to gather consensus around this issue so that it not become yet again a policy of polarization and division.” He added, “I hope that also on the defense of life which Trump has assured he will do during his mandate, he can broaden the consensus.”
Holy See-U.S. relations
Cardinal Parolin said he did not think the relationship between the Holy See and the United States would change with the new administration. “We maintained relations with President Trump during his previous term in office, so more or less we will continue,” he said.
He acknowledged that “as always, there are elements where we are close, and elements where we differ, on which we are distant. This will be an occasion to exercise dialogue and try to find together more points of consensus, always for the benefit of the common good and of peace in the world.”
Among the areas of major difference between the Holy See and Mr. Trump is climate change. Pope Francis and the Holy See insist on the urgent need to take action on climate change; Mr. Trump does not.
Relations with China
A journalist also asked about the Vatican’s relations with China, over which tensions surfaced publicly with the first Trump administration when, in 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo strongly criticized the provisional agreement reached between the Holy See and China on the nomination of bishops that was first signed in Beijing in September 2018. Mr. Pompeo warned that a further renewal would put the Holy See “in danger of losing its moral authority.”
Responding to the question, Cardinal Parolin, who has a central role in the Vatican’s relations with China, said: “We have moved forward, however, with China. We have renewed the agreement for another four years [in October]. The dialogue continues, by small steps but it continues. So we confirm this line, above and beyond the reactions that can come, also from America.”
Cardinal Parolin emphasized that the Holy See’s interest in China “is essentially ecclesial,” and so “it is necessary to get out of a political conception that is perhaps present in the evaluations of governments and countries.” He said it is necessary “to know that the Holy See looks to this, and on the basis of this compass, it seeks to go forward.”
