Parolin accuses UN of grotesque failures

The Vatican Secretary of State has accused the United Nations of systematically failing to deal with the profound crises the world faces today, writes James Roberts.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the UN body, tasked with saving “generations from the horrors of war”, was remaining “passive in the face of hostilities suffered by defenceless populations”.

He was thinking in particular, he said, of the “tears, the suffering and the heartfelt cries of despair of Christians and other religious minorities” in northern Iraq.

He said it was time for the UN to “deepen its understanding of the difficult and complex moment” we are now living in. The emergence of a terrorist organisation – Islamic State – that threatens all states should “compel the international community to promote a unified response, based on solid juridical criteria and a collective willingness to cooperate for the common good”. Two things were needed: an appreciation of the “cultural and political origins of contemporary challenges”, and “study of the effectiveness of international law today”.

Promoting dialogue and understanding among cultures is already implicitly contained in the UN Charter, he pointed out. But apart from “cultural openness”, the “important path of international law” was  available. The situation today requires a more “incisive” understanding of this law, he said, giving particular attention to the “responsibility to protect”. (For Cardinal Parolin’s full address, visit www.thetablet.co.uk/texts)