Cardinal Parolin Warns Against Erosion of International Law Amid Middle East Conflict

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, expressed deep concern over the ongoing war in the Middle East during a Wednesday interview with Vatican News. He lamented the erosion of international law, stating, “justice has given way to force; the force of law has been replaced by the law of force.”

The cardinal warned that a dangerous form of multipolarism, characterized by the primacy of power and self-interest, is taking hold globally. He spoke with sorrow about the devastating impact of war on the peoples of the Middle East, including fragile Christian communities, emphasizing how conflict shatters lives and drags nations into cycles of violence with uncertain outcomes.

Reflecting on Pope Francis’s recent Angelus address, Cardinal Parolin recalled the pontiff’s description of the situation as a “tragedy of enormous proportions” and a risk of an “irreparable abyss.” He underscored the necessity of cultivating peace and security through diplomatic means, particularly within multilateral institutions where conflicts can be resolved without bloodshed.

The cardinal highlighted the post-World War II international order, noting that the founding fathers of the United Nations sought to prevent future horrors by establishing clear guidelines for conflict management in the UN Charter. He lamented that these efforts appear to have been undermined, with diplomacy increasingly replaced by force-driven approaches.

Quoting Pope Francis’s remarks to the Diplomatic Corps earlier this year, Cardinal Parolin observed that diplomacy promoting dialogue and consensus is being supplanted by a “diplomacy of force” pursued by individuals or allied groups, with a misguided belief that peace can be achieved through arms.

Addressing the complexity of assigning blame in war, the cardinal emphasized that war inevitably produces victims, destruction, and severe consequences for civilians. He stressed the Holy See’s preference for resolving disputes through all available diplomatic instruments, asserting that history demonstrates politics and negotiation as the only viable paths to trust, development, and peace.

Regarding the justification for recent attacks framed as “preventive wars” aimed at halting missile production, Cardinal Parolin cited the UN Charter’s strict conditions for the use of force. He warned that recognizing a state’s unilateral right to preventive war without supranational legal oversight risks setting the entire world ablaze.

He described this erosion of international law as deeply troubling, with justice supplanted by force and the belief that peace requires annihilating the enemy. This shift undermines the foundational principles of global governance and international order.

On the topic of recent massive street demonstrations in Iran, which were violently suppressed, Cardinal Parolin affirmed that these protests cannot be ignored. He called for respect of peoples’ aspirations within legal frameworks that guarantee freedom of expression, including for the Iranian people. He questioned whether launching missiles and bombs could truly resolve such underlying issues.

When asked why international law and diplomacy are in decline, the cardinal attributed it to a loss of awareness that the common good benefits all. He explained that justice, prosperity, and security are achievable only when all parties benefit, a principle that underpins multilateralism and projects like the European Union.

He concluded that this awareness has weakened, fueling an appetite for narrow self-interest over collective well-being, thereby threatening the stability and peace that international law and diplomacy aim to uphold.