With Archbishop Paul Gallagher’s visit to Moscow this week, the Vatican continues to try to be a facilitator in bringing about a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, will travel to Russia this week to hold meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as well as visit the country’s Catholic community.
The announcement was made by the Vatican Secretariat of State on its X account and was described by Vatican News as “a mission of dialogue and peace.”
According to the schedule, the first meeting will take place Aug. 25 with Lavrov. Subsequently, Archbishop Gallagher will meet with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Archbishop Gallagher will meet with Ushakov, the foreign policy adviser to Putin. Vatican News noted that “the schedule confirms the Holy See’s determination to continue along the path of dialogue, even at one of the most difficult moments in international relations at the global level.”
The Vatican representative will visit the Catholic community on Aug. 27. Gallagher will first
