Cardinal Bertone addressed many Vatican diplomats today in his new capacity as Secretary of State:

Speaking at the “Duke’s Hall” Cardinal Bertone, offered his thanks for the many messages of welcome and good wishes he received on his appointment September 15th.

Laying out his overarching vision of the role of diplomats, Bertone said the world hopes that the diplomats will be "artisans of peace, men of law, reason, sincere dialogue and promote a renewed impulse of solidarity between peoples, especially in rethinking the problem of debts of the poorest countries, so that no longer will any person, especially children, die of hunger or endemic illnesses, no longer will people be innocent victims of wars or local conflicts, nor poorly treated because of their convictions or beliefs".

Turning to specific issues, the cardinal said, "Our main preoccupation must be the dignity, the freedom and the unconditional respect of all human beings as to his fundamental rights, in particular his freedom of conscience and religion".

"As diplomats,” he said, you “are particularly attentive to these sensitive problems founds throughout the world. I am thinking especially about all forms of violence inflicted on women, children born and to be born. The defense of life, from its conception to its natural end, as well as the defense of the family based on marriage, are also essential themes in social life".

The Cardinal said the areas where the greatest difficulties lie, "difficulty of the bond between the prophetic aspect and the concrete necessities of life – which must also be considered by a humane ethos, especially in the context of violence, private or organized, marked also by the plurality of opinions confronting each other".