Asked about the deadly shootings by U.S. federal agents in Minneapolis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the violence unfolding there is "unacceptable."

"The position of the Holy See is always to avoid any kind of violence, obviously, and therefore we cannot accept episodes of this kind. That is our position, as you know," he told reporters when asked about operations underway by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, which have led to the shootings and deaths of two U.S. citizens.

"Difficulties, problems and contradictions must be resolved in other ways," Cardinal Parolin said Jan. 28, describing the situation as "unacceptable" and agreeing with recent statements by U.S. bishops.

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The cardinal spoke with reporters on the sidelines of an evening event at LUMSA University in Rome Jan. 28.

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Asked about the possibility of the U.S. sending ICE agents to the Winter Olympics in northern Italy as part of security measures for the U.S. delegation, the cardinal said he was aware of the proposal, "but I know there is also controversy surrounding it. We don't get involved" in such controversies.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi, told reporters during a news conference Jan. 28 that "We hope that respect for public order will be ensured as much as possible by our own (Italian) authorities," adding that there has been no official statement from the conference on the issue.