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Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, during his official visit to Kiev, Jun 17, 2016.Shutterstock.com

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VATICAN CITY, August 30, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, echoed Pope Francis’ talking points about accusations that the sex abuse crisis had implicated the Pope during a recent interview he gave to Italian newspaper La Stampa.

When asked to comment about Archbishop Viganò’s detailed 11-page testimony released last week, Parolin, like his boss, took a pass.

“It's better not to go down into details on such things,” he said, according to a translation of the interview provided by Rorate Caeli. “I repeat that which the Pope says: you read it, and make your judgement. The text speaks for itself.”

Pope Francis told reporters on his return flight from Ireland this weekend that he was “not going to say a word” about allegations that he covered-up for ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

“Read the statement carefully yourselves and make your own judgment. I am not going to say a word about this,” the Pope said.

Parolin, considered by many as a top contender for the papacy at the next conclave, said he is experiencing “great pain” right now.

“It is not possible to express anything else than pain when faced with these things, great pain. I hope that we all work in the search of truth and justice, that these be the points of reference, and not other things. Certainly the situation is not worrying at all.”

La Stampa asked Parolin how the Holy Father is doing given the “difficult” last several days.

“From what I have seen…he seems serene. The Pope is a great grace, even faced with these things that obviously create so much bitterness and also restlessness.”

Parolin said that the Pope has “taken a very clear position” on “the issue of abuses” in the church.

Viganò released an eleven-page testimony last week accusing Pope Francis, among other high-ranking prelates in the Vatican and in the United States, of promoting ex-cardinal Archbishop Theodore McCarrick despite knowing of his reputation for sexual abuse of seminarians and priests. 

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