The cardinal who quoted Borodulin could become the new pope
- 23.04.2025, 12:05
Cardinal Parolin is well aware of the situation in Belarus.
The authoritative Italian newspaper La Stampa believes that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the 70-year-old Vatican Secretary of State, could be elected as the new Pope. The publication named him as one of the main contenders. The election of the Pontiff will take place at a conclave due to convene in May, writes katolik.life.
Cardinal Parolin is well known in the former Soviet Union and is also well-versed in the situation in Eastern Europe. He has paid official visits to Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
The last communication of the Belarusian hierarchs with the cardinal took place just two months ago. As Metropolitan of Minsk and Mogilev Archbishop Joseph Stanevsky told then, Cardinal Parolin was interested in "the concrete life of our believers and at the same time our society":
"There were personal questions, which I did not suppose that he could know. Seeing my surprise at the question, he explained: 'this is the Vatican'."
In 2015, at a meeting with young people in Minsk (pictured), Cardinal Parolin quoted the People's Poet of Belarus Rygor Borodulin, admitting that he was shocked by his poems.
And at the talks with the authorities, the cardinal then said that the Holy See was ready to help Belarus' aspiration for greater openness towards the European Union and the rest of the world, because "the Vatican's policy is governed by the conviction that difficulties should be solved not through isolation, but through dialog."
Parolin's visit to Belarus then facilitated the release of political prisoners.
In general, the Secretary of State has met with Belarusian bishops at the Vatican on more than one occasion. At one such meeting, the Cardinal expressed "deep concern about the condition of foreign clergy who have difficulties in obtaining permission to serve in Belarus, as well as the impossibility for priests visiting the country to serve the Eucharist without authorization from the authorities."
The Cardinal then asked rhetorically whether there was anywhere else in the world something like this. According to the cardinal, this state of affairs is unacceptable.