Parolin meets Nato troops

The Holy See’s top diplomat met with Nato troops in Lithuania last Saturday and stressed the need for peace in the Baltic region as tensions increase with Russia, writes Christopher Lamb.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, went to the Siauliai air base where Nato’s Baltic air police mission patrols the alliance’s frontier with Russia.

Jets at the base have been launched with increasing frequency to intercept Russian aircraft since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters at the base, the cardinal said his visit was a “sign of peace”, adding: “There are so many conflicts, so many clashes between peoples and persons that really we need mercy as an instrument of pacification and understanding”.

This was the theme of a major talk the cardinal gave in the capital Vilnius on global Vatican diplomatic efforts.