Catholic Fire

Msgr. Pietro Parolin welcomed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for a very brief meeting at the Vatican. Now, I'm headed to Kuwait to do a major conference for Syrian refugees. The short visit underscores the pivotal role Pope Francis has gained in international affairs since taking office. John Kerry made the pit stop in Rome to discuss the peace process between Israel and Palestine. In the past months, he pushed for negotiations, but with no success so far. Thank you so much for arranging this, and thank you so much for doing this on s hort notice. With Pope Francis visiting the Holy Land in May, the United States sees the Pope as a key ally in pushing both sides to the negotiating table. The meeting lasted an hour and forty minutes. Both two secretaries also talked about Syria, South Sudan, and the healthcare reform in the U.S., a big sticking point between the government and American bishops. Before saying goodbye, Kerry introduced some of his staff. His assist...

September 3, 2013. (Romereports.com) After drafting a letter pushing for the protection of religious freedom in Egypt, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops once again reached out to American Secretary of State John Kerry, this time on the on-going violence in Syria. The letter was once again written by Iowa Bishop Richard Pates, the chairman for the Conference's Justice and Peace Committee. The bishop denounced the use of chemical weapons against innocent people. However, the letter clearly states that the Conference believes “dialogue and negotiation” are the only solution to end the bloodshed. They urged Kerry and the U.S. Government to obtain a ceasefire, rather than military intervention, and push for serious negotiations between the warring sides. They also asked for the government to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims of the conflict, and to protect Christians and other minorities.