Vatican secretary of state says world’s fragmentation starts with forgetting what a human person is

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the loss of a common understanding of the human person is the root cause of the world's current fragmentation. Speaking at a dinner in New York on Sept. 25 during the United Nations General Assembly’s High-level Week, Parolin told guests that the issue stems from a lack of clarity regarding human identity rather than technology, diversity, or excessive freedom.

Parolin spoke as an honoree for CAPP-USA, the arm of the Fondazione Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice that promotes Catholic social teaching. He cited Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas to argue that while modern technology is not an enemy, human dignity belongs to people rather than algorithms or systems. He also referenced Rerum Novarum, the 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII that laid the foundation for Catholic social teaching.

The Cardinal encouraged attendees to prioritize physical presence and personal encounters in a world that is often digitally connected but offline disconnected. The event included U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, and Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the U.N., who provided the benediction.