Every day, Aleteia offers a selection of articles written by the international press about the Church and the major issues that concern Catholics around the world. The opinions and views expressed in these articles are not those of the editors.
Wednesday 25 May 2022
1. U.S. Ambassador to Holy See on Ukraine, China, and his meeting with Pope Francis
2. Opposition to abortion in the United States is not based only on religion
3. Pope Francis in Quebec: a more sober papal visit than in 1984
4. Religious marketing: “11 lessons to better evangelize”
5. Glimpses into the single toughest job in the Catholic Church
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U.S. Ambassador to Holy See on Ukraine, China, and his meeting with Pope Francis
Vatican journalist Gerard O’Connell recently met with the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Joe Donnelly, who presented his credentials to Pope Francis in April. The former Democratic senator from Indiana shared with him a number of things about the content of his meeting with the Pope, including on Ukraine. The Pontiff “said to me: ‘I am willing to try anything to bring peace. I will go to Moscow. I will go to Kyiv. I will do whatever is needed if it would bring peace,’” reports the diplomat who considers that the Russians are perpetrating a genocide. The Ambassador believes that the Vatican’s position is in line with Ukraine’s hopes and aspirations, but takes a step back when the Vatican journalist reminds him that Pope Francis had also spoken of NATO’s “barking at the door” of Russia, pushing it to act. Ukraine is “a free and independent nation, and they have a right to associate with whom they want,” Donnelly replied. Referring to the situation in Israel, the United States, and China, the new ambassador confided that the Vatican is “in a very difficult situation.” He especially cited how the Holy See is trying to ensure the survival of the Church in China in the face of an “authoritarian, dictatorial regime that wants to impose its own will.” Regarding the arrest of Cardinal Zen, he said, “the United States has been much more vocal in condemning China […] about Cardinal Zen” than the Vatican.