Vatican official accuses Trump administration of using Pope | world News

A senior Vatican official accused the Donald Trump administration of exploitation Pope Francis In the final stages of the US presidential election campaign.

US Secretary of State, Mike PompeoHe spoke at a conference on religious freedom organized on Wednesday by the US Embassy to the Holy See during his visit to Italy.

When the Italian news agency ANSA asked Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for State Relations at the Vatican, whether the United States ’unilateral organization of the event amounted to the Pope’s exploitation in the run-up to the elections, he replied:“ Yes, that is precisely it. Why would the Pope not meet the US Secretary of State? Mike Pompeo. “

Pope Francis has reportedly refused to meet Pompeo during his visit this week, Citing the proximity of the US elections. But the move is also likely to be linked to Pompeo’s recent attacks on Vatican policy that the Vatican considers soft on China’s human rights record, as both sides prepare for an extension. Historic agreement signed two years ago.

Details of the deal were never announced, but it gave the Vatican a say in appointing Catholic bishops to China. Pope Francis He also recognized eight bishops who had been appointed by Beijing without his consent.

China was also a topic during Pompeo’s meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome on Wednesday. Pompeo said he asked Conte to “think carefully about network security.”

During a press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Pompeo said he is concerned about China’s plans to expand its influence over the Italian economy.

“The Secretary of State and I have had a long conversation about US concerns that the Chinese Communist Party is trying to take advantage of its economic presence in Italy to serve its own strategic purposes,” Pompeo said, adding that “the Chinese are not here for honesty. Partnerships of mutual benefit.”

He also urged the Italian government to consider the risks to the privacy of its citizens presented by technology companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

In March 2019, Italy became the first country in the G7 Controversial plan endorsed by China To build a global trade network along the lines of the Silk Road, which angered its allies in the European Union and the United States.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit during which the two countries signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding that could lead to Italy’s participation in China. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an ambitious project that envisions Chinese investment in a network of infrastructure projects connecting Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. A host of other business deals have also been signed in a variety of fields, including tourism, food and football.