VATICAN CITY (CNS): One of the most difficult diplomatic challenges facing the Catholic Church today comes from powerful cultural, economic and political lobbies in wealthy countries that are hostile because of the Church’s position on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, a top Vatican prelate said.
“The voices of the Holy Father and the Catholic Church are hardly listened to,” Cardinal Renato Martino, who is president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said at a news conference at the Vatican.
The voices are muffled by “the noise and uproar orchestrated” by lobbies motivated by “a prejudice against everything that is Christian”, he said.
Cardinal Martino made his remarks on October 18 at the presentation of an anthology of speeches made by Pope John Paul II regarding the Church’s role in the world and the Holy See’s relationship with other countries and international organisations. The English version is titled “Pope John Paul II and the Challenge of Papal Diplomacy”.
The anthology sets out to give a survey of the intense diplomatic activity of the Vatican during the 26 years of John Paul II’s papacy.
