A controversial diplomat without pastoral experience. Who is Pietro Parolin, a candidate for the Pope

He has church and political views similar to Francis, so he is seen as his natural successor. He is assessed as a good diplomat, but he lacks pastoral experience. Who is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a candidate for the Pope.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin was born in Schiavon in the north Italy as the son of a tool store manager and primary school teacher. His father died in a car accident when Parolin was only ten years old.

He felt the vocation to the priesthood early and in the age of 14 he joined the seminary. After priestly ordination in 1980, superiors sent him to study canon law at the Gregorian University in Rome. At that time, he began training for the diplomatic service Vatican.

After completing his master's thesis, he began formal work as a diplomat. He is fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and English. Pope Francis In 2014, he appointed Parolin a member of his internal “Cardinal Council”, which advised him on the reform of the Church.

In 1992 he arrived in Rome and started working there in the “Secretariat of State Secretariat. Was responsible for diplomatic relations with Spain, AndoraItaly and San Marino. Pietro Parolin has long been highly valued by secular diplomats as a credible and trusted representative of the Pope on the international arena.

Parolin is particularly specialized in the laws of the Middle East and the geopolitical situation of Asia. He played a key role in re -establishing direct contact between the Holy See and Beijing. It was a praised achievement then, but now it could be a problem for him.

His consistent approach to Chinese-fitting relations reached the climax in 2018. A controversial, secret agreement on the appointment of bishops was signed then, renewed in the following years. The agreement met with widespread criticism not only from Cardinal Joseph Zen Zen Ze-Kiuna, a retired bishop of Hong Kong, and ordinary Chinese Catholics, but also from outstanding Catholics in Europe and the United States, who accused the Church of the communist selling China.

According to the testimonies of the former Grand Grand East Champion Giuliana di Bernardo, the Cardinal Parolin maintained friendly relations with Italian Freemasonry. It is not clear if they still have contact.

Parolin's management of the Vatican's finances was also questioned – namely his role in hindering financial reform and unclear participation in a real estate scandal in London, for which he was never accused, but which led to prison sentences for some of his colleagues in the secretary's office.

For critics, Cardinal Parolin is a modernist progress with a globalist vision, a pragmatist who puts ideology and diplomatic solutions above the hard truths of faith.

For supporters, however, he is a brave idealist, an avid supporter of peace and a master of prudence and arbitration. A significant downside for Paroline is his lack of pastoral experience, his priestly career was devoted to diplomacy and Vatican administration, not parish ministry.

Pietro Parolin has a church and political view similar to Franciszek, so he is seen as his natural successor. He would probably be a pope providing continuity, a continuator of Francis's reforms, who can introduce them in a more diplomatic way.