During his visit to Russia, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for relations with states and international organizations, reaffirmed the Holy See’s position that the conflict with Ukraine “cannot be resolved by military means.”
The archbishop made the remarks during a press conference following his Aug. 25 meeting in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
As the Vatican Secretariat of State reported Tuesday on X, the men discussed “topics of mutual interest and current international issues, with particular attention to the war in Ukraine and prospects for peace.”
During the event, Archbishop Gallagher stated that “the Holy See’s position is clear: The conflict cannot be resolved by military means,” adding that “it is essential to create the conditions for a political and diplomatic process.”
“To be clear: This war must end,” he said, noting that “it is urgent and necessary to end the hostilities and plan future relations so as not to remain prisoners of the wrongs of the past.”
He stated that “any concrete result in the humanitarian sphere will contribute to alleviating suffering and help restore a minimum level of trust between the parties to the conflict.”
Lavrov expressed appreciation for the Holy See’s openness to dialogue with Russia and its commitment to peace, Vatican media reported. He also agreed with his Vatican counterpart on the need to step up cooperation on humanitarian issues.
(Photo by Ramil Sitdikov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.)
By Eduardo Berdejo, EWTN News
