The
former Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has
written a new book looking at the role the Holy See plays in
international affairs.
The book, called “Papal diplomacy in a globalized
world", was introduced Tuesday evening in the Vatican Synod Hall. It
includes several speeches from Cardinal Bertone’s seven years in office.
“First
of all, a person like [the Cardinal Secretary of State] is part of the
historic development of the Church, and having been for seven years
[Secretary of State] is an important part of the history of the Church,
and each responsible person in the Church is part of a long chain, and
so his service, as such, is a great contribution for the Catholic
Church,” said Hans-Gert Pöttering, the former President of the European
Parliament and President of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Pöttering spoke at the event, commending Cardinal Bertone’s strong defense of the European project.
“As
far as Europe is concerned, Cardinal Bertone is a supporter of European
unification, and he expressed this in his speeches, and so I hope that
his speeches are an example for other important people in the Church to
support the unification of our continent,” he told Vatican Radio.
We
very often hear critics about the situation in the European Union, we
hear criticism as far as the process of European integration is
concerned from people in the Church,” Pöttering said. “I think Europe
needs encouragement from the Church as well and the Church needs
encouragement …as well. Let’s work together to unite Europe more.”