The Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Holy See, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, met this Tuesday, August 25, in Moscow (Russia) with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, on the first day of high-level meetings during his visit to the country. “In this difficult atmosphere for international relations, we believe that dialogue is more important than ever and that the world needs diplomacy more than ever,” the archbishop stated at the beginning of the meeting, according to EFE citing Russian television.
Gallagher arrived in the Russian capital on Monday and will remain in the country until Friday, August 28. The visit includes contacts with the authorities of the Russian Federation, representatives of the Patriarchate of Moscow, and the country’s Catholic community.
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“Vital” to maintain dialogue
Gallagher thanked Lavrov for his invitation to “finally” make the trip to Moscow and described maintaining open channels of dialogue as “vital.”
The head of pontifical diplomacy noted that persevering on this path is a hallmark of the Holy See’s actions and expressed his desire to speak “about peace, about the reality and prospects of peace,” and to convey hope, particularly at a time when “trust is clearly at risk.”
The archbishop presented Tuesday’s meeting as a continuation of recent contacts between the Holy See and the Russian diplomatic mission.
Lavrov, for his part, stated that Russia and the Holy See have managed to preserve, despite international “disturbances,” a dialogue based on “trust and mutual respect.”
The Russian minister expressed hope that this framework would allow for the search for “positive and feasible decisions” and showed willingness to address with Gallagher any issue of interest to the Holy See with a view to reaching “mutually acceptable agreements.”
The meeting had been officially confirmed by Moscow last week. At that time, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that both would discuss relations between the Russian Federation and the Holy See, cooperation in international organizations, and various issues on the international agenda.
Read also: Moscow confirms Gallagher’s visit to Russia: he will meet with Lavrov on August 25
Ukraine on the agenda
Although a detailed summary of the content of the talks has not yet been released, the Kremlin had anticipated that the war in Ukraine would likely be part of the meeting.
Asked about Gallagher’s agenda, the Russian presidential spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated: “I have no doubt that the Ukrainian issue will come up.”
The visit comes just weeks after Gallagher’s trip to Ukraine, where he spent six days in July and held meetings with the country’s political and ecclesiastical authorities. In Kyiv, he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed, among other issues, the war and its humanitarian consequences.
At the end of that mission, Gallagher confirmed that the Holy See is studying the conditions for a possible visit by Leo XIV to Ukraine, following repeated invitations from the country’s authorities. “The Holy Father takes this invitation very seriously,” he said at the time.
Read also: The Holy See is studying a possible visit by Leo XIV to Ukraine
Meeting with the Patriarchate of Moscow
Gallagher’s agenda is not limited to Russian civil authorities. This Tuesday he is scheduled to meet with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow.
Anthony has headed the body responsible for the external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church since 2022, after succeeding Metropolitan Hilarion.
On Wednesday, August 26, Gallagher will be received by Yuri Ushakov, advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin on foreign policy. A career diplomat, Ushakov served as Russia’s ambassador to the United States from 1998 to 2008 and has been presidential advisor for international affairs since 2012.
First visit since before the war
This is the first time Gallagher has visited Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
His previous trip to Moscow took place in November 2021, just a few months before the start of the war. On that occasion, he met with Lavrov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and the then head of external relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, Metropolitan Hilarion.
The current visit will also have a specifically ecclesial dimension. On Thursday the 27th, Gallagher will dedicate the day to Russia’s Catholic community. He will meet with priests, religious brothers and sisters, and later celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moscow. Afterward, he will hold a meeting with the country’s Catholic bishops.
Gallagher will return to Rome on Friday, August 28, after a visit in which the Holy See is simultaneously keeping open channels of dialogue with Russian authorities, the Patriarchate of Moscow, and the country’s Catholic community.