Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said diplomacy remains a possible path toward ending the war in Ukraine after high-level talks in Moscow produced no concrete breakthrough.
Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials during an Aug. 24–28 visit to Russia.
“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,” Gallagher said in an interview with Vatican News published Sunday. “And I believe that essentially this was our message.”
Gallagher met with Lavrov during the first day of his visit, although he was not received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. After more than an hour of talks, the two appeared before reporters, with the Vatican diplomat reiterating Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for an end to the war in Ukraine.
“The Holy See does not enter into the details of the negotiations, nor does it propose technical solutions, because this is the direct responsibility of the belligerent parties,” Gallagher said in the subsequent Vatican News interview.
“The Holy See, instead, recalls this responsibility and invites them to show goodwill in order to seriously begin a dialogue,” he continued. “And it does so by addressing both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as other countries, asking that no effort be spared to create spaces for dialogue.”
A ‘difficult’ dialogue
Gallagher acknowledged that discussing peace in Russia means engaging in “a difficult dialogue.”
“The longer the war continues, the more difficult it will be to restore relations: There are many victims, many open wounds,” he said. “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.”
“In this sense, diplomacy offers and promises a possible solution,” Gallagher said. “This is also what we, as a Church, have the responsibility and the duty to proclaim.”
Gallagher and Lavrov also discussed possible humanitarian initiatives and the situation of children affected by the war. The Holy See expressed its willingness to continue offering spiritual, diplomatic, and humanitarian assistance.
“This dimension is fundamental and, in this area, the Holy See is already offering its contribution, a commitment that so far has been greatly appreciated,” Gallagher said.
“The Holy Father himself, before I left, told me: We must insist on the humanitarian dimension. And that is what we did,” he added.
“We hope that Cardinal [Matteo] Zuppi’s peace mission will continue and that he will be able to return promptly to Moscow, also in order to be a witness to what the local Church and the Catholic communities are doing.”
Zuppi traveled to Moscow in 2023 and 2024 as Pope Francis’ special envoy for peace. His mission included humanitarian efforts concerning Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.
Outreach to the Russian Orthodox Church
Gallagher also visited Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, one of the city’s most prominent Orthodox landmarks.
There he was received by Igor Yakimchuk, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. Gallagher also met with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who heads the department.
The talks covered issues of common concern and were intended to keep channels of communication open between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church at a particularly sensitive moment for the region.
Relations between the two churches have been severely strained since Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill publicly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meeting Russia’s Catholic minority
Gallagher devoted the final day of his visit to Russia’s small Catholic community.
Catholics make up a tiny minority in the country, with roughly 800,000 faithful among a population of more than 146 million — about 0.5%. The Church is organized into four dioceses centered on the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow.
During his stay, Gallagher celebrated Mass at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and met with priests, religious men and women, and the country’s Catholic bishops.
