Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrived around noon, posed for an official photograph with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and signed the guest book at the Palácio de Belém. A meeting followed, lasting about an hour, but no statements were made afterward.
The “second-in-command” of the Catholic Church has been in Portugal since Friday. He visited the Sanctuary of Fátima and prayed at the Elevador da Glória in Lisbon for the victims of the September 3 derailment that resulted in 16 fatalities.
On Saturday, he participated in the ceremony marking the jubilee of the “Commitment to the City,” an event organized by the Patriarchate of Lisbon at the Gulbenkian Foundation.
During this event, the Vatican’s chief diplomat criticized those who advocate for world peace while maintaining “war logic,” urging the resolution of conflict causes and the “fight against the existing indifference.”
Earlier today, Cardinal Parolin was received by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
In a post on the social network X, the head of the government stated that the meeting with the cardinal involved exchanging “views on the conflicts that trouble the world and the urgent need to pursue paths of peace.”
Italian Pietro Parolin has been the Secretary of State of the Holy See since 2013, appointed by then-Pope Francis.
