Gallagher Visits Moscow for 1st Vatican Talks Since 2021 as Ukraine War Strains Ties
Updated
Updated · infovaticana.com · Aug 24
Gallagher Visits Moscow for 1st Vatican Talks Since 2021 as Ukraine War Strains Ties
3 articles · Updated · infovaticana.com · Aug 24
Summary
Archbishop Paul Gallagher is in Moscow for talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Vatican’s first such visit since 2021, with the Ukraine war expected to dominate discussions.
The trip aims to steady Holy See-Russia relations and cover bilateral ties, international cooperation and wider global issues, even as Pope Francis’s death has not altered Vatican policy on the conflict.
Relations with the Russian Orthodox Church remain a major obstacle, with ties to Patriarch Kirill still damaged after Francis once described him as “Putin’s altar boy.”
Gallagher is also meeting local Catholics and is due to celebrate Mass on Thursday at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, underscoring the Vatican’s effort to rebuild its presence on the ground.