Pope Francis Appoints New Secretary of State

Emily Dutton,

Correspondent (Politics)

 

VATICAN CITY — In what has been described as his most significant appointment since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church in March, Pope Francis has recently selected 58-year-old Pietro Parolin as the new Secretary of State. On his appointment, Parolin expressed: ”(I feel) the full weight of the responsibility placed upon me; this call entrusts to me a difficult and challenging mission.” The Vatican diplomat is currently working in Venezuela as a ‘nuncio’, or ambassador and will shortly begin his new role.

The appointment is one of numerous changes made by the new Pope since the beginning of his time as leader. He has also set up a commission to investigate the bank with the instruction to report back to him personally, after numerous allegations of corruption during his predecessor Pope Benedict’s eight year reign.  Furthermore, he then issued a decree to combat money laundering. Naturally such allegations pose a serious threat to the public image of the Catholic Church and also defy many of the morals schooled by the Church itself.

One individual, who was personally linked to the allegations was Parolin’s predecessor Tarcisio Bertone. The 79-year-old’s retirement could mark the end of a period of financial and ethical scandals. Bertone was especially linked to ‘Vatileaks’, which were leaked documents exposing corruption and infighting within the Vatican City. Pope Benedict’s former butler, Paolo Gabriele, stole the documents and leaked them to the press. It was a very damaging experience for the Vatican, and one that Bertone received widespread criticism for failing to prevent.

So what will be expected of Parolin in his new role? As the new Secretary of State, he will take on a great list of novel responsibilities. Firstly, he will act as the Pope’s Chief Aide and will be expected to act on the Pope’s behalf if he is ever ill. Although, the Secretary of State does not possess any power to rule on doctrinal issues, he will oversee the appointment of new Bishops and take care of the Curia, which is the Vatican’s central government. Perhaps, most importantly, within his domain will be diplomatic relations with over 170 countries.

Parolin’s new role, therefore, does come with a large amount of responsibility and is a job usually awarded to older members of the clergy. In fact, he is the youngest person to become the Pope’s ‘Prime Minister’ since 53-year-old Eugenio Pacelli, who occupied the position in 1930.

The changes introduced by Pope Francis could combat the significant decline in followers suffered by the Catholic Church in recent years. In Italy, a staggering two thirds of Church-goers have ceased practising Catholicism in the last decade alone. The steps taken by the Pope seem to be in the right direction towards correcting the mistakes of his predecessor’s reign. He will definitely need the backing his new Secretary of State if he is to be successful.

Image Courtesy: Blancoduno, German Federal Archives, Erin Silversmith | Wikimedia Commons