Agreements must be honored.
In one way or another, most of us heard this from our parents when we were children, although a child’s own version is usually, “You promised!”
The Vatican invoked this basic principle in addressing the challenges facing world leaders in the 21st century, including rapidly changing technology, the erosion of the international order established after World War II, and even questions about what it means to be human.
“Regrettably, international relations today are characterized by a growing lack of trust among actors, especially through the disregard of the principle pacta sunt servanda,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, said when he addressed the United Nations as its General Assembly opened on Sep. 26 in New York.
Pacta sunt servanda. That’s Latin for “agreements must be honored.”
Although Parolin named no world leader in his remarks, he spoke just days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s address to the international body.
Trump used the word “agreement” three times on Sep. 22.
All were in reference to the agreement with Denmark granting the U.S. permanent control over the security of Greenland, the world’s largest island, which lies between the Arctic and the Atlantic and has been under Danish control for hundreds of years.
However, this “agreement” was made after Trump’s recent threats to take over the island – even militarily – claiming it needed to be under the control of the United States. This despite the fact that the U.S. and Denmark are both members of NATO and already have a longstanding agreement on Greenland.
More concretely, during World War II, the U.S. even took control of Greenland after Denmark was taken over by the Nazis. The U.S. and Denmark have long been considered close allies.
Since his election, Trump has been loath to uphold agreements the United States has made since World War II, most notably efforts to reduce tariffs worldwide. He has also questioned whether the U.S. would defend Europe, as promised by its NATO membership.
He was proud of what the U.S. had achieved in Venezuela when it seized the South American nation’s president – not so much because it arrested a man accused of many crimes, but because Trump claimed he seized much of the country’s oil.
“To the victor belong the spoils,” the U.S. president told the UN General Assembly.
Parolin does not share that attitude.
“In Venezuela, the Holy See encourages every effort aimed at the full restoration of democratic order through peaceful, inclusive means that respect national sovereignty, as well as the launch of a process of national reconciliation based on dialogue, the pursuit of the common good and full respect for human rights and civil liberties,” the cardinal said in New York.
He noted the humanitarian concern in the country “should not be overlooked.”
“The same consideration applies to the pressing need for a swift recovery of the national economy, for the benefit of the entire population, the majority of which continues to endure extremely difficult living conditions,” Parolin said.
This differing view – victors claiming spoils vs. swift economic recovery – is best explained by the word Trump used when speaking about Venezuela.
Instead of “agreement,” he said “deal.”
Trump said “deal” several times in his address to the General Assembly – and it’s a word best associated with Trump, whose 1987 quasi-autobiography was titled, The Art of the Deal.
In many ways, the book helps explain Trump’s chaotic presidency.
He recommends that people “think big,” for example, by mentioning taking over another country’s territory, and suggests using leverage to get what you want.
He also says people should keep their options open and notes that you can pit opponents against each other, which creates uncertainty. Trump says people should never know exactly what you are thinking. He advocates “hitting back” in different ways, including with lawsuits.
In other words, keep everyone off-balance. For reporters following the Trump Administration, The Art of the Deal is a necessary handbook.
For the Vatican, it reads like a revolutionary manifesto, and the destabilization it causes will lead not only to disruption in international affairs – it has already caused that – but to the collapse of the postwar international order.
In his speech to the UN, Parolin noted that today’s world is marked by rapid technological change, environmental threats, renewed conflicts, and deepening fractures in the international order.
“Every international institution, beyond its legal framework, requires mutual trust among its members to be effective,” the cardinal said.
“Moreover, trust is an ongoing process. It is fostered through mutual respect and dialogue, and requires a relentless commitment to the values of human dignity and justice on which multilateral institutions are founded,” he added.
Trump often seems like a bull in a China shop when he speaks off-the-cuff, using hyperbole and making statements that mystify other world leaders. This includes personally attacking the first U.S. pontiff by name, calling Pope Leo XIV “wrong on the issues” and “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.”
The president’s defenders usually say it’s best to see what Trump does rather than listen to what he says.
But the Vatican is listening as well as watching.
“Authentic multilateralism requires agreement on the meaning of words,” Parolin told the UN General Assembly.
“When language is emptied of content or deliberately distorted, dialogue becomes impossible,” the cardinal continued.
“Above all, it requires the recovery of trust — trust that agreements will be honored, that the weak will not be abandoned, and that the common good will take precedence over the pursuit of unilateral advantage.”
Cardinal Parolin named no names at the UN headquarters.
He didn’t have to.
Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome
