By Holy See Mission
Words of His Eminence Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness Pope Francis At the luncheon offered by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in honor of His Eminence the Secretary of State, Pietro Cardinal Parolin; New York, Saturday September 27, 2014Monsignor Auza,Members of the Staff, Experts and Friends of this Mission:
First of all, I have the great honor and pleasure to convey to you all the prayerful best wishes of
Pope Francis. I wish to assure you how much our Holy Father cares for peace in the world and for
the prosperity and well-being of all the peoples in the world.
It is a great joy for me to meet you and have the opportunity to share with you this lunch. Since
my arrival here in New York a few days ago, and after many meetings and receptions, I have been
looking forward to this lunch, above all to thank you, also on behalf of the Holy Father Pope
Francis, for the valuable work you are doing for the Holy See and for the Catholic Church in
general. I encourage you to continue to help this Holy See Mission in its work with the United
Nations Organization, an institution with global reach and global ambitions.
As you know, the Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations is different from the other
Missions, not because of its status as an Observer State, but because of its own nature. The Holy
See has no political or economic aims; its vocation is to communicate the millennial experience of
the Catholic Church to humanity, and to put this experience at the disposal of the United Nations,
to assist it in reaching its primary objectives, among which are to spare our world from the scourge
of wars and to promote the respect of fundamental human rights.
It becomes evident, then, that the Holy See and the United Nations share common goals. We share
the commitments to ensure that every person and people in the world enjoy the right to religious
freedom, to live in a peaceful world, to live free from want, hunger and thirst, to enjoy a wholesome
environment. On these and many other issues, we offer to the world community our own
perspectives and experiences.
The current 69th Session of the UN General Assembly is tasked with further advancing these very
important objectives. The Holy See is confident that this Mission will be there to contribute in the
debates. Considering the importance of themes like the post-2015 Development Agenda, climate
change and the challenges posed by terrorism and violent extremism, I believe that the Secretary
General and the President of the 69th Session of the General Assembly did not exaggerate when
they described the current session as potentially epoch-making. I wish you all well, then, in your
specific field of expertise!
As you are equally well aware, the Holy See has reservations and disagreements with the United
Nations or with some of its agencies on certain issues, issues which primarily concern the respect
for the sanctity of all human life and some aspects touching marriage and family. You are here,
also to remind nations, UN institutions and other partners on the position of the Holy See on these
and related issues.
Dear friends, I would like to thank you once again for the valuable help you give to the Holy See,
through this Mission to the United Nations. I wish you all success. I wish Monsignor Auza wisdom
to rally the whole team to achieve collective success, for the good of humanity and for the greater
glory of God.
Saint Irenaeus affirmed that the glory of God is man fully alive. A person living his or her life to
its fullest potential, a person fully alive, is the common goal of the Holy See and the United
Nations. In this sense, both work for the greater glory of God.
Also in the name of the Holy Father, I pray: God bless you!
Thank you!
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