Archbishop Gallagher has reflected on the “difficult dialogue” he had with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Moscow on August 25. The archbishop, who serves as the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, noted that “the longer the war continues, the more difficult it will be to restore relations”.
Speaking to Vatican News, cited the number of victims of the war and the “many open wounds” that remain and are being exacerbated as the war progresses into its fourth year. “But we know very well that, historically, all conflicts, all wars end with a negotiation, with an agreement, and then one begins to restore relations between the former belligerents,” he said, arguing that “diplomacy offers and promises a possible solution”.
“This is also what we, as a Church, have the responsibility and the duty to proclaim. We went to Moscow to speak of peace, to encourage souls troubled by war, and to say: have courage, embrace the path of peace, have the hope of believing in a better day. And I believe that essentially this was our message,” he said.
Standing beside Lavrov following their meeting last week, Archbishop Gallagher told the press conference that the war in Ukraine “must end” and called for a “just and lasting peace”. However, he also noted the substantial differences in the two parties’ evaluation of the conflict.
He reflected that, due to the suspension of direct flights between Russia and countries within the European Union, the journey to Moscow took more than 12 hours, whereas before the war it took only four. He stated that the journey was “indicative of the desire for the dialogue that the Holy See wants to pursue” as part of the wider dialogue it has been conducting for years.
The archbishop focused on a general appeal for peace during the meeting, he reported, as details of negotiations and technical solutions are the “responsibility of the belligerent parties”. He stated that the Holy See “recalls this responsibility”, inviting Russia and Ukraine to “show goodwill in order to seriously begin a dialogue” by speaking with both parties.
On July 20, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to conclude his five-day mission to Ukraine as Pope Leo XIV's special envoy. During talks with the acting Foreign Minister, Andrij Sybiha, the Holy See called for a lasting, just peace and reaffirmed its closeness to Ukraine. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who visited Ukraine concurrently with Archbishop Gallagher, will visit Moscow in late September.
Speaking following his meeting with Lavrov, Archbishop Gallagher said the suffering of civilians as a result of the war is a “fundamental” dimension, and that Pope Leo had insisted before he left for the diplomatic mission that “we must insist on the humanitarian dimension”.
On peace negotiations, which the Vatican has repeatedly offered to host, Archbishop Gallagher stated that there did not appear to be a desire for the Holy See’s direct involvement. However, he noted that the message conveyed by the offer was that both nations need the international community and that Rome was available to help “in any way”.
“They only have to ask and we will make all our resources available, which are modest, we acknowledge that, but it is a gesture that we make in good faith,” he said, adding that the meetings “strengthen the initiative of the Holy See to keep the path of dialogue open”.
“We are convinced that this is the road to follow and that isolating people, countries, frankly, does not help. This is our opinion; obviously, every State has every right to decide its own strategy autonomously. By coming here to Moscow and doing what others at this moment are not doing, we invite reflection on whether the strategies implemented so far are producing results in resolving this tragedy,” he said.
