VATICAN CITY: A top Vatican official on Thursday rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to move Palestinians from Gaza, saying “the Palestinian population must remain on its land.”
“This is one of the fundamental points of the Holy See: no deportations,” Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said on the sidelines of an Italy-Vatican meeting, according to the ANSA news agency.
Moving Palestinians out would cause regional tensions and “makes no sense” as neighboring countries such as Jordan are opposed, he continued.
“The solution in our opinion is that of two states because this also means giving hope to the population,” he said.
Trump has proposed taking over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and moving its more than two million residents to Jordan or Egypt. Experts say the idea would violate international law but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it “revolutionary.”
Pope Francis this week criticized Trump’s plans for mass deportations of undocumented migrants in the United States — drawing a sharp response.
In a letter to US bishops, the head of the Catholic Church called the deportations a “major crisis” and said sending back people who had fled their own countries in distress “damages the dignity” of the migrants.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, responded: “I wish he’d stick to the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border enforcement to us.”
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Vatican says Palestinians must ‘stay on their land’
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Vatican says Palestinians must ‘stay on their land’
- Secretary of State Pietro Parolin: ‘This is one of the fundamental points of the Holy See: no deportations’
- Parolin: ‘The solution in our opinion is that of two states because this also means giving hope to the population’
King Charles calls for ‘reconciliation’ in Christmas speech
LONDON: Britain’s King Charles III called for “compassion and reconciliation” at a time of “division” across the world in his Christmas Day message Thursday.
The 77-year-old monarch said he found it “enormously encouraging” how people of different faiths had a “shared longing for peace.”
Charles praised individuals who risked their lives to save others in situations of violence, including those caught up in the killings at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach in Australia this month.
“Individuals and communities have displayed spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm’s way to defend others,” said the king whose words were accompanied by images of events at Bondi.
Eighty years after the end of World War II, the king said the courage of servicemen and women and the way communities came together after the conflict carried “a timeless message for us all.”
“These are the values which have shaped our country,” he said.
“As we hear of division both at home and abroad, they are the values of which we must never lose sight,” Charles said in a message recorded at Westminster Abbey and broadcast nationally.
No mention of royal tribulations
“With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong. It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died.”
In October, Charles became the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with a pope since a schism with Rome 500 years ago, in a service led by Leo XIV at the Vatican. He called it a “historic moment of spiritual unity.”
A few days earlier Charles met survivors of a deadly attack on a synagogue and members of the Jewish community in the northern English city of Manchester.
This is the second year running that the king has made his festive address away from a royal residence.
Last year he spoke from a former hospital chapel as he thanked medical staff for supporting the royal family in a year in which he announced his cancer diagnosis.
This year, Charles did not make any reference to his battle with the illness, nor did he mention his younger brother Andrew who in October was stripped of his royal titles over his links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The message did feature images of his son and heir Prince William, as well as his grandson George.
The Christmas song that ended the message was sung by a Ukrainian choir formed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of their country.
The king and other members of the royal family, including Andrew’s daughters, attended a Christmas service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on Charles’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The 77-year-old monarch said he found it “enormously encouraging” how people of different faiths had a “shared longing for peace.”
Charles praised individuals who risked their lives to save others in situations of violence, including those caught up in the killings at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach in Australia this month.
“Individuals and communities have displayed spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm’s way to defend others,” said the king whose words were accompanied by images of events at Bondi.
Eighty years after the end of World War II, the king said the courage of servicemen and women and the way communities came together after the conflict carried “a timeless message for us all.”
“These are the values which have shaped our country,” he said.
“As we hear of division both at home and abroad, they are the values of which we must never lose sight,” Charles said in a message recorded at Westminster Abbey and broadcast nationally.
No mention of royal tribulations
“With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong. It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died.”
In October, Charles became the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with a pope since a schism with Rome 500 years ago, in a service led by Leo XIV at the Vatican. He called it a “historic moment of spiritual unity.”
A few days earlier Charles met survivors of a deadly attack on a synagogue and members of the Jewish community in the northern English city of Manchester.
This is the second year running that the king has made his festive address away from a royal residence.
Last year he spoke from a former hospital chapel as he thanked medical staff for supporting the royal family in a year in which he announced his cancer diagnosis.
This year, Charles did not make any reference to his battle with the illness, nor did he mention his younger brother Andrew who in October was stripped of his royal titles over his links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The message did feature images of his son and heir Prince William, as well as his grandson George.
The Christmas song that ended the message was sung by a Ukrainian choir formed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of their country.
The king and other members of the royal family, including Andrew’s daughters, attended a Christmas service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on Charles’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
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