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It is a true “division” that occurred in the last hours between Vatican and United States. Following the Pope’s refusal to attend the audience with Mike Pompeo, the US press devoted ample space to the Trump administration’s diplomatic difficulties with the Holy See.
The Pope rejects an audience with Pompeo
It seems that, in the end, the Secretary of State’s visit to Rome had the sole effect of expand tensions with the Vatican. The US representative would have pulled the Pope’s jacket to push him to take a clearer position on the Chinese front.
Pompeo recently wrote and tweeted an article saying that the Church’s intention to renew an agreement with China “puts its moral authority at risk.”
Politico wrote that the Pope rejected the meeting with Pompeo because the Catholic leader is not intended to be used for political purposes as part of the election campaign for USA 2020.
Divided between the United States and the Vatican
“The diplomatic gap over relations with the Chinese government intensified yesterday when the secretary of state Mike pompeo urged the Catholic Church to display its moral authority on behalf of persecuted believers in China, ”writes the Washington Post.
The American newspaper also notes that the matter could damage relations with Italy, “A strongly Catholic country.” According to Peking University professor of International Relations, Francesco Sisci, Pompeo provoked the Vatican with a controversy, leading the Pope to deny him an audience.
Also according to the Washington Post it would be ongoing a secret negotiation between the US and the Holy See “for the appointment of Catholic bishops in China.”
However, Pompeo was received at the Vatican: the conversation was cordial, but “the positions remain distant,” Cardinal Parolin explained. “He explained the reasons for his interventions and we explained the reasons why we intend to continue on the path of agreement“he added.
“We are grateful to the Holy See for the humanitarian commitment in the world and we are proud to be partners in the advancement of religious freedom and human rights,” Pompeo said.
