Meeting held between US and Vatican Secretaries of State

A meeting was held in the Vatican on Monday between the Holy See’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Vatican Press Office spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi, said in a statement that the American delegation included the US Ambassador to the Holy See, Kenneth Hackett and two members of the State Department staff. The Holy See was represented by three Curia officials responsible for the topics covered.

According to Fr Lombardi, the main topics discussed were the situation in the Middle East, and the commitment of the US to avoid the escalation of tensions and the explosion of violence; also the commitment to promote a resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The United States’ commitment to the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison was also discussed, and the desire expressed for the Holy See’s assistance in seeking adequate humanitarian solutions for current inmates .

The short time available for Monday’s discussions prevented both sides from examining other issues in depth, though some were mentioned – in particular, the situation in Ukraine and its prospects and the emergency surrounding the Ebola outbreak.

Source: VIS