 the first minister of the Holy See, or to put it in nutshell to talk with the ambassador, he is the second after the Pope. Eminence won't welcome here in Davos. So, as you may know, the first minister of the Holy See, the first minister of the Holy See, or to welcome here in Davos. Eminence, since you have taken office, we would say that the diplomacy of the Holy See has taken more action, and even more traction, and even more success, talking about Cuba, talking about Venezuela. Eminence, would you agree that we see maybe some golden age of the Holy See diplomacy? First of all, thank you, thank you for your welcome, and greetings to everybody. Greetings also from the Holy Father. I convey to you the Holy Father appreciation for this forum and the work and the job you are doing. The presence of the Holy See means also the recognition and importance of this job in favor of mankind. Of course, it is not easy to answer to your question if we are in the golden age of the diplomatic activity of the Holy See. Yes, it's true that the activity, this diplomatic activity has increased a lot, but I would like to point out that it's due, according to me, to two main factors, reasons. First of all, the personality of Pope Francis. Pope Francis is clear. He is taking a very great role of leadership in the global issues of the present world. And he is recognized as such, as a global leader. When we receive in the Vatican representative of different states and international organization, normally they recognize this role of the Pope, which was very clear, for instance, in the process of the climate changes related with Paris Conference and so on. Then this is one of the reasons why the diplomacy, the Vatican diplomacy is more active nowadays. And as you remember, maybe the Holy Father, when he took his office after his election, he has given three goals to the Vatican diplomacy. The first one is to fight poverty. To fight poverty, this is a subject which is very dear to the heart of the Holy Father and is always intervening on this issue. The second is to build bridges. To build bridges. The words is dialogue, no? He said many times when they asked me what to do in some difficult situation when we are in presence of conflict, of confrontation, of clashes, he said dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. And the third one is to achieve peace in many situations. Then according to these three lines, we are trying to move and to intervene in the situation where it's possible to intervene. Take into account also that the diplomacy of the Holy See is not so huge in resources, in personnel. Then we are very limited in a certain sense. It is impossible to do everything. But we would like to help. We would like to help. And maybe this is, according to me, the characteristic I underline in my service that we should be very, very concrete, very concrete. Not only to announce principles, which is good, which is the role of the Holy See in the world, but also to respond to situations of crisis and to try to do our best as much as possible to help people in their situation of difficulties. This is more or less what I can say. Thank you very much, Eminence. So unlike any other countries which are always, you know, far to one to each other, so the Roman Catholics are almost everywhere. And I would like to ask, is it more an upside or downside for diplomacy, particularly in the view of some easier countries where many Catholics are or where they are still a minority? Yes. This is a great advantage. And this is also what is distinguishing the diplomacy of the Holy See vis-à-vis to the other diplomacy, the civil diplomacy. Normally a diplomatic, of course, is working in a given country just to improve the relationship between its states and the state to which it is accredited. Besides, it's interesting for the world peace and development, but also it has the task to protect and to defend the interests of its own compatriots living in that country. For instance, the Italians or the French, when they are in Africa, in Latin America, they are just helping their community. The diplomacy of the Holy See has not this task, because as you rightly pointed out, the interest of the Holy See is for the citizens of that country who are Catholics, and not only for the Catholics, but also for the other religions, for the other Christian groups, and then it's the activity of ecumenism, and then the other religions, the interreligious dialogue. But of course we are there just to help the Catholic Church and the Catholic faithful to live freely their religion. And for this reason, one of the main purposes of the Holy See, of the action of the Holy See is to protect and to defend and to promote religious freedom, religious freedom in a given country, which is really, really according to us, that was an idea of John Paul II, that is the first of the human rights. And it's like a sort of term of reference for all the human rights. If religious freedom is protected and is insulted, then all the human rights, the other human rights are at the same time protected and promoted. And of course this means that, for instance, we have a very, very great knowledge of the situation which is prevailing in a given country. This is one of our advantages. That really we receive information, of course also the other countries do it because they have ambassadors in many, many other countries. But of course we have people on fields, on the ground, on the spot. We have missionaries, we have sisters, we have lay people. Now you know that the missionary lay people are increasing everywhere in the world. And then it is normal to receive many, many information, to receive many appeal, to receive also suggestions how to answer to the difficult situation. I think that is one of the most important benefits deriving from the fact that our people are the people of the country, the Catholics of the country. Thank you very much. But it would mean that certainly you are represented almost everywhere. So maybe therefore many, even governments, are very confident in the work of the Holy See. And this opens for you even opportunities in terms of diplomacy, beyond the question of fighting for Christians. For example, even very political questions, you just figured out like in Cuba or maybe even during the Cold War era with Pope Johannes Paul II. So I think that could be an opportunity as well. So your mission is beyond sometimes the fight for Christians, right? Yes, of course. That is very important what you are saying. And we feel really that we are not working only for the freedom of the church or the freedom of the Catholics. When we speak out for religious freedom, we are doing something for everybody. And the interest of everybody, of all the believers belonging to different religious are at the heart of the interest and of the action of the Holy See. And to add also one point which is of utmost importance is not only the question to defend and to promote the rights of believers, but I would like to say to defend, to promote the person, the human person as such, this is, I would like to say, the main characteristics of the presence and the action of the diplomacy of the Holy See, to defend the human person, to defend the rights of the human person, especially to underline that there is a dimension which cannot be overlooked or forgotten if we want to save mankind in our days, which is the transcendent dimension of the person. The person, the human person cannot be reduced only to a material dimension, but has something with transcend this material dimension and according to us it is a relation with God from whom he comes. But if we don't want to speak about the relation with God then to put it in a religious level we can speak about the spiritual dimension which cannot be reduced to the material. And according to us this is the condition, I repeat, to save mankind today. If we don't preserve this dimension really the future of mankind is very dark in our days. And then we really, in all the forums, in all the organizations where we are working, we insist on that. The centrality of the person, it is the first principle to which the Vatican diplomacy is acting on. And then the multifacetic dimension of the person, not excluded, is a spiritual dimension. And the solidarity of the person with other human beings. This is another, I think, important for me. It is of almost importance this idea. The centrality of the person is transcendence and the fact that the human person is called to be a brother of other human beings. This idea of fraternity. If we don't have clear that we are brothers and sisters and that we are responsible for others, I think that other goals, other objectives, will prevail and will, at the end, damage and destroy the person and the community. And then the last things I would like to say is that it is important not to speak, the Pope has said so many times, not to speak about mankind in general. Of course, as an abstraction. But to look into the eyes of every person and to be, how do you say, portavoce, something with giving voice, with giving floor to the person, to the single person, especially to the poor and the most vulnerable. In this sense, I think that the diplomacy of the Holy See should be a very concrete diplomacy. Recalling also all the authorities, all the international actors, they have to respond to the single person and to the most vulnerable person in the world. Thank you, Eminence. Sometimes we even have very concrete statements out of the Holy See, and even the Holy Father asked and encouraged the people to come to a stronger, that's very politically, European unity. And I guess you, Eminence, as well, have made statements in this direction. So it's very concrete, but what would you understand under the theme European unity? That is a problem of today because we have to recognize that the European unity is living a time, a period of crisis. I would like to point out, first of all, that the European unity has given, has brought great benefit to the European continent. We should not forget that. And maybe one of our problems of today is that the young generation do not know, maybe they do not recognize this benefit. When we think, for instance, about peace, our continent enjoyed peace for 60 years after the devastating experience of the first and the second World War. And then, for instance, the free circulation of persons, good ideas, and so on. Then something which really is advantageous for the countries and the community as well. Then, first of all, we have to recognize that there are great benefits coming from the experience of the Union. And second, that we are living a period, a period of difficulty, because according to us, what is needed today is to give again, let me use this word, a soul to Europe. Which is not only an idea of the church. You remember, maybe, for instance, that famous speech made by Jacques Delors in 1992 when he spoke to the representative of the different religions in Europe. He said precisely that and used the word soul. Which means again, I repeat, but it is a very important point to recognize the person in all his dimension. The risk of today is to reduce the person only to his economic and material dimension. To recognize that the person is more. And to try to give answer also to this different dimension of the person, to recognize it and to promote it. Then for us, and I can remind you of the two speeches of the Holy Father. The two speeches the Holy Fathers has made on Europe which are very, very, very good on the occasion of his participation in the parliament, in the European parliament. And the second was when he received the Karl Schalmann Prize. He has really made a great appeal for Europe to look for his soul. And I think that means also to go back to the Founders Fathers, because the Founders Fathers were really, really persons of great conviction which wanted a Europe of the people and Europe of the ideas, common ideas, not only the Europe of trade and the Europe of economy. Then I think that how to do it, we have to think together. We have to be creative and maybe to use a lot of fantasy. But I think that these are the guidelines on which to move towards a new sense of the European unity. And in this sense I would like also to stress the importance of the religions. The religions cannot be left only on a private ground. It's not only an expression of the personal feelings of the person, but religions have something to say also in a public arena. Of course, in dialogue with all the faith, we are not asking or requesting any privilege for the Catholic Church or the Catholic religions. We know that now we live in a pluralistic society where there are so many expressions of religion belief and religious faith. But I think that it's important that the authorities, the government recognize the public role that religious could give to the public life. And in this sense we can also say a word about terrorism, especially the terrorism which is claimed to be an expression of a religious belief. We think that this is clear manipulation of religion because as the Holy Father has said many times, the faith in God cannot be conducive to such horrible acts against people, against humanity. Many thanks Eminence. I guess that many people here in the room but in Europe or globally would appreciate the discussion in addition to structural questions about Europe, a discussion about the soul of Europe. And talking about Europe in another question, you mentioned mankind and humanity and maybe the need for people. And do you see conflict today in Europe between two needs or at least values, the question between on the one hand to be very open in terms in respect of humanity, on the other hand having some worries, you just mentioned one, the other is maybe more abstract, it's the question of identity. Do you see a conflict and what does this conflict mean for the discussion for Europe in terms of soul? There is a conflict. According to me we have to recognize it. For instance, the fact that some countries are just closing their door because they are claiming their specific identity and they are afraid that this identity will be lost because of the coming of other people from other culture and other religions. But I think that two things can be said. First of all, it is not a new phenomenon. I think that the history of humanity is a history of admitting, of encounter between cultures, between religions, between different ways of living and of thinking. Maybe what is new is the proportion of this phenomenon, especially for Europe, but it is true that for instance the migration, let's say the big number of migrants are not in Europe, maybe in Asia I think. But anyway, we are living with fear and with a sense of malaise, this experience. First of all, then it's nothing new. And then I think that also we have to learn from the lesson of history. We forget too much history and according to me we have to go back just to look forward and to learn from the good lesson because there are also bad lessons. But anyway, we look for the good lesson. And secondly, I think that this is precisely as the Holy Father has said many times the challenge in front of us. And the challenge is how to make differences. We are different, but how to make differences not a reason or the cause of conflicts and clashes and division, but a source of mutual enrichment. That is the big challenge according to me. And today in a multi-multipolar world when there are so many centers of power, of interest and so on, this is becoming more and more important. How to match differences in the sense that differences can become a source of reciprocal enrichment, advancement and progress. Again, how to do it in a concrete way is another question. But I think that it's important to work together. And we have seen also on the question of migrants sometime Europe were not able to elaborate a common policy. And a great deal of problems are linked to that, the fact that a given country was left alone just to face this problem. And then to work together just to find a way and formula through which we can really live together. And we know that every attitude of closure of not acceptance of order is an attitude which impoverishes us and it is not helping us to progress. But I think that the challenge is to find the concrete way how to match the two aspects. Thank you very much. Given the time, I have only the time for the last question and as we as a Swiss institution we have to stick on the schedule but I know that you are personally very engaged in the question of peace and I will ask you therefore a very concrete question. And peace is by the way one of the highest risk for the business community. We have recently published our risk report and surprisingly for us to some extent was that the question of peace was number one and the risk that we will not have peace in the future. You are very engaged in the nuclear disarmament so my last question is, it's not that spiritual but what does it mean very concretely for you as the chief diplomat of the Holy See? Yes, we are engaged, we are committed to peace. I would like to say that the reason why the Vatican diplomacy exists is because of peace and we are working as diplomacy in general but specifically the diplomacy of the Holy See and we have seen especially in the last centuries the action of the Pope in favor of peace when you think about what Benedict the 16, Benedict the 15 did on the occasion of the First World War you can see really what means to work for peace. But recalling another Pope, Pius XII whose motto was, Pax Opus Eustizii which goes back to the prophet Isaiah, peace is the fruit of justice. If there is no justice, there is no peace. Then to work for peace we have to work for justice, for justice among person, concrete person, justice inside the country, justice among the country, justice in the world. And I think that this forum should look for justice especially in the economic sector, in the economic deals. Otherwise there is no peace. As far as the design of nuclear disarmament the Holy See is very committed to that. It's part of the nonproliferation treaty he signed and we are also thinking, reflecting with the international community at least with some like-minded nations about the morality of the nuclear weapons if it is possible to accept this concept of the nuclear deterrence. But once again a peace built on fear is not a peace. And then nuclear weapons are the only way to instill fear in others just to prevent them from acting but it's not a good way. Then there is other means like to build confidence measure, to build mechanism of dialogue and of security which can assure the peace better than the nuclear deterrence. Thank you so much for the insights under our headline Responsive and Responsible Leadership and allow me by quoting you to finish our today's session to say what you just mentioned in line out peace is a fruit of justice. I think that is a nice finish for today's session. Eminence, thank you very much. Thank you.