Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, updated journalists on the medical condition of the new Vatican Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, who was recently hospitalized for surgery.
News of the surgery was announced by Pope Francis during Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone’s farewell ceremony at the offices of the Secretariat of State on October 15th.
Fr. Lombardi told journalists that Archbishop Parolin was released today from a hospital in Padua and will remain in the region of Veneto to recuperate, so that he will be able “to assume the grave responsibilities of his new role, once fully recovered.”
The director of the Holy See Press Office also said that he spoke directly with the Archbishop who was grateful to the Holy Father and those who have prayed for him.
Archbishop Parolin, he said, “wishes to express his gratitude firstly to the Pope, for his understanding, attention and closeness, and also to all those who have been close to him in this period, or have prayed for him. He hopes to take on soon the new responsibilities the Pope has entrusted to him”.
A native of Vicenza Italy, Archbishop Parolin has served in the Holy See’s diplomatic service since 1986 first as the Pontifical representative in Nigeria and then in Mexico before returning to the Secretariat of State in 1992. Before being named as Vatican Secretary of State by the Holy Father, he served as Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela since 2009.
