The Apostolic Palace in the Vatican is home to the Holy See’s Secretariat of State, the engine room of the Catholic Church’s central administration. Entering the offices on the third floor of the Renaissance palazzo, you walk past frescoes of some of the first maps of the world, a reminder that the church had a global vision and influence long before globalization came into fashion.
Now, with Pope Francis entering his fourth week in hospital, those working in the Apostolic Palace are grappling with the continuing uncertainty over the pope’s health. The same is true for everyone working in the Vatican.
The two highest-ranking secretariat officials are Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the “sostituto,” or “substitute,” who acts as a papal chief of staff. They have seen Francis in hospital on at least two occasions. During normal times, they would individually have a scheduled weekly audience with the pope and remain in regular contact with him.
Parolin, a mild mannered, thoughtful prelate, is an experienced diplomat from northern Italy who leads engagement in geopolitics and has been instrumental in brokering the Holy See’s agreement with China. Some talk about him as a future pope and it was Parolin who led the first of the daily prayer sessions for Francis’ health in St. Peter’s Square.
