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The Church must accompany with attention and care the weakest of her children, who show signs of a wounded and troubled love, by restoring in them hope and confidence…Pope Francis, (Quoting Relatio Synodi, 2014)
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Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 110 and 111: “Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice” and “International Drug Control”
Archbishop El-Kassis stated that the rule of law, crime prevention and criminal justice must advance together, and that preventing and responding to criminal activities is interrelated with the respect for and protection of universal human rights. He noted the need for renewed determination in the face of expanding drug markets and the exploitation of technology by organized criminal groups, calling at the same time for medical treatment, psychological support and sustained rehabilitation, particularly for young people and those serving criminal sentences. He further stressed the fundamental role of education, within the family and in schools, in preventing drug use.
October 07 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - Agenda Item 67: “Rights of Indigenous Peoples”
Archbishop El-Kassis reaffirmed that Indigenous Peoples form an indispensable part of the human family, and that their rights must be respected, protected and promoted as a matter of justice and of the common good. Welcoming the progress achieved through the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2027, he underscored that Indigenous peoples are not objects of development policies, but subjects and protagonists of their own destinies. He called on the international community to recognize past wounds, commit to reconciliation, and defend the fundamental human rights and God-given dignity of every human being.
October 07 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Agenda Item 66: Promotion and protection of the rights of children
Archbishop El Kassis stated that children, as the youngest members of the human family, deserve particular care and legal protection. He affirmed the family as the foundation and most important safeguard of children's rights. Mothers and fathers, he said, are their children's first teachers, protectors and advocates. He noted that many children lack health care, food, education and shelter, and that poverty exposes them to abuse and exploitation, including trafficking and forced labor.
October 06 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Second Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly - General Debate
Archbishop El Kassis called for an international financial architecture that places the human person and the common good at its centre. To achieve this, he highlighted three priorities: reforming the global financial architecture to ensure greater inclusion of developing countries; a more equitable approach to unsustainable debt burdens that protects investment in human development; and greater attention to how global resources are allocated, particularly amid rising military expenditure. He stressed that financing sustainable development must go beyond mobilising resources to ensuring that economic and financial systems serve integral human development, supporting investments in healthcare, education, food security, decent work and climate action. He encouraged the Committee to advance efforts towards a financial system that enables all countries to pursue lasting peace, prosperity and development.
October 06 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Agenda Item 25: Advancement of women
Citing Pope Leo XIV, Archbishop El Kassis stated that the equal dignity of women and men must be reflected in concrete decisions, including laws, access to employment and education, and social and political responsibilities. He stressed that equality does not mean sameness, and requires collaboration between men and women. Women should have equal opportunities without having to renounce family life or professional aspirations. He criticized policies presented as family-friendly that discriminate against motherhood, exalt abortion as a right and undermine the desire to start a family.
October 06 2026
Statement of the Holy See at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, Agenda Item 24: Social Development
Welcoming the first session since the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Archbishop El Kassis, citing Pope Leo XIV, stated that development is truly human when it places people at the center. He stressed that poverty eradication and effective social protection must remain central, and that the poor should be active participants in the measures designed to help them.
October 06 2026
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Christophe Z. EL KASSIS at the General Assembly High-level Meeting to Commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Archbishop El Kassis stated that seeking greater security through perpetual reliance on nuclear weapons, the use of which would have catastrophic consequences for humanity, is a profound contradiction. He also noted with concern the renewed prominence of nuclear weapons in strategic doctrines and rhetoric contemplating their possible use, as well as in the gradual erosion of the arms control and disarmament architecture that has been built up over decades. Against this backdrop, Archbishop El Kassis stated that reversing these trends requires a renewed commitment to multilateralism, arms control and disarmament, noting that dialogue and cooperation remain essential to restoring trust, reducing nuclear risks and creating the conditions for meaningful progress towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
September 29 2026
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Christophe Z. EL KASSIS at the General Debate of the High-Level Meeting to Mark the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action
Archbishop El Kassis noted that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance have regrettably not improved, also extending to the digital space, and recalled that the God-given dignity of the human person is central to building a true international community, any theory or form of racism being morally unacceptable. He welcomed that the present Political Declaration recognizes intolerance against religious communities, including acts of Christianophobia, and underlined that global political support requires political will and the participation of civil society, including religious leaders.
September 28 2026
Address by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State and Head of the Delegation of the Holy See at the General Debate of the High-Level Week at the Opening of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Conveying the greetings of Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Parolin urged nations to place human dignity and the common good at the centre of international cooperation. He emphasized disarmament, civilian protection and respect for international humanitarian law, while appealing for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East and other regions affected by conflict.
September 26 2026
His Eminence Cardinal Parolin Delivers Statement at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response
Cardinal Parolin stressed that scientific and medical advances remain out of reach for much of the world’s population, as the COVID-19 pandemic revealed, and called for addressing the poverty, poor living conditions and lack of healthcare that heighten the risk of severe illness and death. He affirmed universal health coverage as a moral imperative rooted in equity, solidarity and human interdependence, and urged support for research, innovation and regulatory capacity in developing countries. He also highlighted the social fragmentation exposed and worsened by the pandemic, including the isolation of older persons and young people, and urged renewed attention to mental health and the strengthening of social ties, beginning with the family.
September 25 2026
His Eminence Cardinal Parolin Delivers Statement at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting to Address the Existential Threats Posed by Sea-level Rise
Cardinal Parolin stressed that sea-level rise threatens homes, livelihoods, food and water security, cultural heritage and ancestral lands, particularly affecting vulnerable coastal communities and States. He called for a culture of care that places human dignity and the common good at the centre of climate action. He emphasised the importance of solidarity, justice and international cooperation, including strengthened mitigation efforts and access to financial, technological and technical resources for vulnerable States, particularly small island developing States and low-lying coastal communities, to support adaptation, resilience and efforts to address loss and damage.
September 24 2026
His Eminence Cardinal Parolin Delivers Statement at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Ministerial Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution
Cardinal Parolin welcomed some of the progress made in the last year to bring an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, including the ceasefire, the return of hostages, the facilitation of the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the efforts undertaken through the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and Security Council Resolution RES/S/2803 (2025). However, he also stressed that the reality of life in the Gaza Strip remains tragic for the civilian population. In this regard, Cardinal Parolin stated that it is essential to preserve the territorial and political conditions necessary for the realization of two States, to strengthen legitimate Palestinian institutions, and refrain from measures that further fragment Palestinian territory or undermine the viability of a Palestinian State. Finally, he concluded by expressing concern about the expansion of new Israeli settlements and strongly condemned all acts of violence against Christian communities living in Palestinian territories of the West Bank.
September 24 2026
His Eminence Cardinal Parolin Delivers Statement at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the 40th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development
Cardinal Parolin reaffirmed that the individual person is the focus and beneficiary of the right to development, with the State as its primary duty bearer and international cooperation supporting States' efforts. He stressed that the right to development is rooted in the God-given dignity of every person, from conception to natural death. He highlighted persistent obstacles to the realisation of the right, including poverty, food insecurity, conflict, climate change and debt. To overcome these obstacles, he called for international cooperation and solidarity, including through the provision of financial, technological and human resources, especially for States facing the greatest structural challenges to advance the development of their peoples and empower men and women to become protagonists of their own development.
September 23 2026
His Eminence Cardinal Parolin Delivers Statement at the High-Level Meeting on Artificial Intelligence and Human Development
Cardinal Parolin acknowledged that developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) can contribute to human development and the common good, while stressing that technological development must never be separated from ethical and social progress. He underscored that prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, slower pace in adopting AI is an exercise of responsible care for the human family, and that the promotion of the God-given human dignity of every person must remain at the core of every decision shaping technological progress in the years to come.
September 23 2026
Holy Mass with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Holy Mass at the Church of Our Saviour Homily of His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin New York, 21…
September 23 2026