Santi Taboada
Pope Leo XIV has sent his foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, to Russia. It is the first visit by a high-ranking Vatican official to the country since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Vatican announced the trip with the following message:
“The schedule confirms the Holy See's commitment to continuing on the path of dialogue, even during one of the most difficult phases in international relations.”
On Tuesday, August 25th, Gallagher will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The following day, Gallagher will meet with Yuri Ushakov, President Putin’s foreign policy adviser. On August 27th, he is scheduled to meet with Russian religious leaders. After celebrating Mass at Moscow Cathedral, he will also meet with the bishops.
Gallagher's most recent trip was to Ukraine in July, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and visited areas hit by Russian attacks.
Before Gallagher left for Ukraine, the pope advised him to encourage the Ukrainians not to be distressed by “the abuses of wicked men.” Although it was a quote from Pope Gregory IX, it seemed to carry a second meaning.
But now, Vatican diplomacy is shifting to the other side of the front lines. The most recent contact between Russia and the Holy See dates back to a phone call last year between Pope Leo XIV and Vladimir Putin.
Gallagher's last visit to Russia was in 2021, months before the invasion of Ukraine and the outbreak of the war.
The next Church official to visit Russia could be the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. At the Rimini Meeting, he said he hopes to travel to Russia in September on a humanitarian mission.
