‘We can collaborate with Trump’ says the Vatican

Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin congratulates the US president-elect and hopes for the best.

Rome Reports | Nov 11 2016 | comment

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's number two, told media at a book launching on Thursday that it's time to give US President-Elect Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt.

"I think we should give the president time to make whatever decisions he deems appropriate. Personally, I already like the fact that he presented himself as the president of everyone, so he left behind, at least in his intentions, all the negative words he said while campaigning. Now we will see what he will do and then we will comment."

Noting that the world has many conflicts, the cardinal said the U.S. should continue to use its voice to facilitate international dialogue. In addition, he named the first issues in which the Vatican is willing to collaborate with Donald Trump.

"I think that the question of peace is one of the fundamental issues. Next, the internal issues of the Church, such as religious freedom, actions taken by Catholics, and paying attention to the most vulnerable in society."

On Wednesday the Cardinal took the unusual step of commenting on the US election result, making a brief statement on Vatican Radio. First, he highlighted the increased turnout of North American voters in this election. He then congratulated the new president and hoped his "government can truly be fruitful."

He also said that the Vatican will pray for Donald Trump "so the Lord enlightens and sustains him in the service of his country, of course, but also for the well-being and peace in the world." Especially, added the cardinal, since "today there is indeed a need for everyone to work to change the situation in the world, which is a serious laceration, a severe conflict."

Early this year on a return flight from Mexico a journalist asked Pope Francis to respond to Donald Trump's promise to build a wall between that country and the US, asking him whether a Catholic could vote fpor such a candidate. The Pope said:

"A person who only thinks about building walls and does not focus on building bridges is not a Christian. This is not the Gospel. In regards to voting and not voting, I will not get involved. I'm just saying that this man that is saying this is not a Christian, if he has really said all of these things. Until then, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Source: Rome Reports

You won’t be surprised, dear reader, that today’s articles are mostly about the US President-Elect. Unless you are unfortunate enough to be in the middle of a war, or lucky enough to be passing peacefully from this topsy-turvy world, what looms larger than the shadow of Donald Trump?

Eight months ago, Blaise Joseph cast Trump as a new Constantine, the pagan emperor who set Christianity free. Today we have run his far-sighted article again. “Constantine himself was no pillar of virtue,” Blaise says, but he created the environment which gave Christians the freedom to influence society.” The implications, and the challenge, for today’s Christians are pretty clear, I think.

Also: Surveying the extreme reactions of the progressive media, Michael Cook wonders why they weep over climate change and the white women’s vote, but are so blind to family values. Zac Alstin looks to Confucius to discover continuity in the dramatic regime change America faces. Feisty British blogger Laura Perrins tells Hillary and her feminist harpies that they have brought this cataclysm on themselves. And the Vatican names issues on which it can co-operate with Trump.

Finally, Adam MacLeod reminds us that new sexual identity rights continue to be invented. He describes how the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in response to a lesbian woman’s claim, has further redefined parenthood. Neither marriage nor biological parentage is necessary. Instead, being “jointly involved in the children’s lives” makes any two people the parents of those children.

Can the Trump Administration halt this craziness?

Carolyn Moynihan
Deputy Editor,
MERCATORNET

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