The dialogue between Beijing and the Holy See is “in itself . . . already a positive fact,” said the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, in an interview with “Il Regno” [The Kingdom] magazine and published yesterday, July 27, by the daily “Il Sole 24 Ore” [24 Hours of Sun].
In the conversion with the Review’s Director, Gianfranco Brunelli, the Vatican Secretary of State spoke about the Far East and “the path of dialogue undertaken for some time with the governments of some countries of the region, among them The People’s Republic of China.” “We address it with a spirit of healthy realism, knowing well that the chances of humanity are, first of all, in the hands of God,” affirmed the Italian cardinal.
In this region of the “world, rather vast, complex and diversified,” Catholics want to live their faith serenely in their respective countries, as good citizens, committed to the positive development of the national community,” explained the former Apostolic Nuncio in Venezuela, who defended “the right to profess freely one’s faith.”
Three years ago, the Holy See and China engaged again in discreet negotiations. According to EDA (“Eglises d’Asie”) Agency, with headquarters in Paris, a Chinese delegation was in the Vatican recently to discuss the finalization of an eventual agreement between the Catholic Church and the Beijing Government.
