‘Too frail, too uninspiring’: knives are out for top Papal contender Pietro Parolin

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a firm favourite to replace Pope Francis is, according to his rivals; too sick, too close to China, too enmeshed in a failed London property deal or all of the above.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin (C) attends the Seventh Novemdiale mass at St Peter's basilica, following the funeral of the Pope and ahead of the conclave. Picture; AFP.

On the eve of conclave – tomorrow’s top secret vote for the next Pope – a push which began with whispers has now become a fully fledged campaign to undermine a high profile contender.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the number two in the Vatican, holding the important role of secretary of state, is, according to his rivals: too sick, too close to China, too enmeshed in a failed London property deal, too uninspiring or all of the above.

That the knives are out for this 70 year old “papabile” who is around the perfect age for a new Pope – old enough to have experience, and not too young to dominate the Catholic Church for more than three decades is both illuminating and fascinating. As the softly spoken compromise candidate and experienced diplomat who treads the Church’s middle ground he is under attack from both liberal and conservative factions.

At stake is the future direction of the Catholic Church worldwide for the next 10 or 20 years and the skulduggery shown in the blockbuster movie “Conclave” is just a small window into the deals, horse trading and intrigue going on in real life inside the Vatican walls and in nearby apartments of cardinals.

The overt movement against Parolin suggests that a bloc of cardinals fear his levels of support among the 134 voting cardinals. Or is this focus on Parolin a trojan horse distraction to allow a less controversial, more liberal candidate, or a more conservative one, to become the compromise solution?

Cardinal Pietro Parolin is a favourite to replace Pope Francis. Picture: AP.

Since Pope Francis fell ill earlier this year there has been a big push among senior cardinals to bring the church’s authority back to Rome.

And in the recent daily congregations, where the cardinals are discussing the future of the church and the needs of the next Pope, the theme is not about continuing Pope Francis’ synodality approach but restoring the church to its core values.

The tenth congregation held on Monday focused upon the profile of the future Pope.

The Vatican said in a release after the meeting that this figure must be “present, close, capable of being a bridge and a guide, of favouring access to communion for a disoriented humanity marked by the crisis of the world order, a shepherd close to the real life of the people”.

Parolin’s nickname is “the silent cardinal” for his skill in manipulating decisions while distancing himself from personal responsibility.

As Francis’s number two, he weathered widespread criticism of a 2018 controversial Vatican deal with China allowing the communist state to appoint bishops, although the Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen has continued to remind others the agreement betrayed the Catholic Church in China and has led to the persecution of church leaders.

Cardinal Zen said the agreement was sending “the flock into the mouths of the wolves”.

Last month Parolin discussed the deal a in forum on religious freedom, insisting the agreement would “advance religious freedom (in China) in the sense of finding normalisation for the Catholic community.”

“History was not built in one day; history is a long process,” he said. “And I think we have to put ourselves in this perspective.”

And so his detractors have begun highlighting other drawbacks.

Last week a rumour spread that Parolin had fainted after one of the congregations, and influential Italian editors have been lobbied suggesting the cardinal from Veneto was too frail to take on the papacy.

Then a speech Parolin gave at mass the day after Pope Francis’ funeral was suddenly reviewed in a harsh light.

The National Catholic Reporter said Parolin “failed the audition” having delivered a “stilted style unable to connect with a crowd”. It quoted an unnamed source saying “the Mass was a reminder of Francis’ charisma and communication gifts and that Parolin lacks both”.

The attacks have continued. Over the weekend some of the newer and less experienced cardinals were reminded of Parolin’s involvement in the failed London property deal which cost the Vatican hundreds of millions of euros.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who had been Parolin’s deputy, and is appealing a five year jail sentence for his role in the property fraud, has ruled himself out of voting in the conclave after two letters from Francis requesting he not be involved in the vote were produced last week.

It has been known since 2021 that Parolin signed off on the London property deal, yet suddenly his role has been highlighted in a page length “bombshell “investigation in Il Tempo on the weekend.

Il tempo reported that a 2018 document with Parolin’s signature was currently circulating in the Vatican showing that the Holy See knew of the failed property venture in Sloane Avenue, London and that Parolin had authorised the transaction.

The paper said “these new revelations could reopen the Becciu issue, which seemed closed after the controversial letters from Pope Francis, excluding Cardinal Becciu from the conclave.”

On Monday the attacks continued, with Cardinal Parolin accused by the American watchdog Bishop Accountability of withholding incriminating church records about child sex abuse by priests.

So who benefits if the smear campaign against Parolin is effective? Another Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who has worked in Jerusaelum for more than 30 years is a strong contender, but at 60 is considered too young.

Parolin’s votes may instead edge to the Hungarian conservative Cardinal Péter Erdö, or if the Italian push is particularly strong, could go to a close associate of Francis, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, although he too supported the China deal.

If the conclave is unable to come up with a clear two-thirds majority winner, then it could be feasible that someone with a short papal tenure might get support with cardinals not ruling out having another conclave this decade.

All of the cardinals eligible to vote (aged under 80) have begun moving into the Casa Santa Marta and Santa Marta Vecchia accommodation houses next to St Peter’s Basilica in readiness for the beginning of conclave on Wednesday where they will be unable to communicate with the outside world until after making a decision, indicated by white smoke emitted from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel.

Officials and attendants to the conclave have given oaths of secrecy in the Vatican Apostolic Palace. All is now in readiness.

The cardinals insist their votes will be guided not by self interest or factions but by the will of God.