Leading Vatican prelates condemn political oppression in Nicaragua, Venezuela, US State Dept. says
November 29, 2024
Pope Francis received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with his wife and others, in a November 27 audience.
Following the audience, Blinken also met with his Vatican counterparts—Cardinal Pietro Parolin (the Pope’s Secretary of State) and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher (the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations)—who joined Blinken in “condemn[ing] ongoing political repression in Nicaragua and Venezuela,” according to a statement by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The Holy See Press Office did not issue a statement on the meetings, and Vatican News, the agency of the Dicastery for Communication, uncharacteristically published no report on the meetings, in contrast to its coverage of Blinken’s audience with the Pope in 2021. The Vatican newspaper published a photograph of the November 27 papal audience, but made no reference to any topic of discussion, nor to the meeting between Cardinal Parolin, Archbishop Gallagher, and Secretary Blinken.
Miller’s statement made no reference to the papal audience, but referred solely to the meeting between Cardinal Parolin, Archbishop Gallagher, and Secretary Blinken. The statement touted the “close partnership” between the US and the Holy See in “addressing pressing issues and promoting human dignity.”
Cardinal Parolin, Archbishop Gallagher, and Secretary Blinken discussed the new Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement, according to the statement. Miller wrote that the three “reaffirmed a shared commitment to addressing the horrific impacts on Ukrainian civilians as Ukraine defends itself against Russia’s aggression” and that the three also “condemned ongoing political repression in Nicaragua and Venezuela”—a departure from the typical Vatican circumspection on human rights violations committed by the regimes of Daniel Ortega and Nicolás Maduro.
During his conversation with Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher, Blinken also “commended the Pope’s commitment to advancing the basic rights and dignity of LGBTQI persons,” according to Miller.
Blinken, for his part, discussed his meetings in two brief tweets on the social media platform X.
“Met with Holy See officials Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher and affirmed close U.S.-Holy See partnership on addressing key priorities,” he said. “We discussed the Middle East and Sudan, support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, and promoting democracy in Venezuela.”
“Met with Pope Francis today to express gratitude for his global leadership in protecting the most vulnerable and promoting human dignity,” he added.
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