Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a delegation during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on May 17, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican.

According to initial reports, the terrorists stormed a Catholic church in northwestern DRC while they were participating in a ...

As the clock struck 4:30 p.m. in Rome, the screens in St Peter’s Square came to life, and the booming Latin remarks of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin rang out through Vatican City.

As the clock struck 4:30 p.m. in Rome, the screens in St Peter’s Square came to life, and the booming Latin remarks of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin rang out through Vatican City.

Parolin, 70, of Italy, has been Francis’ secretary of state since 2014 and is considered one of the main contenders to be pope, given his prominence in the Catholic hierarchy.

Parolin, 70, of Italy, has been Francis’ secretary of state since 2014 and is considered one of the main contenders to be pope, given his prominence in the Catholic hierarchy.

The Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin attends a mass for Palm Sunday in St Peter's square in the Vatican on April 13, 2025.