Vatican envoy takes on a minefield of issues in Moscow

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, who serves as the Holy See’s equivalent of a foreign minister, has embarked on a monumental visit to Moscow from August 24 to 28, 2026, marking the first such trip by a senior Vatican diplomat since 2021.

Politically, the Vatican has repeatedly emphasised its desire to keep channels of dialogue with Russia open despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. Gallagher's visit reflects the Holy See's continued effort to maintain diplomatic engagement with Moscow while seeking progress on humanitarian issues connected to the conflict, according to an analysis published by the Catholic magazine outlet Aleteia.

Following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the two sides reaffirmed their mutual willingness to cooperate on humanitarian matters affecting people in the regions affected by the war both in Ukraine and Russia, including the fate of prisoners of war, detained civilians, missing people, family reunification, the return of children to their families and assistance for those wounded during the conflict.

However, the senior Catholic official also used some direct language when addressing the conflict, saying during a joint press conference with Lavrov that “the Holy See urges both parties to demonstrate openness and goodwill” in order to end the “hostilities and begin authentic negotiations.”

“This war must end,” Gallagher said, expressing concern that “the conflict continues to expand” and that “the number of victims continues to grow.” Both sides have spent months intensifying long-range strikes against targets deep inside each other's territory. “The longer the conflict continues, the more difficult it will be to arrive at an adequate resolution,” Gallagher emphasised.

Although the official agenda of the meeting centred on the humanitarian situation in areas affected by the war, both in Ukraine and Russia, the visit also carries a significant ecclesiastical dimension, the outlet's analysts note.

State of the Catholic church in Russia

The Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, which covers Moscow and European Russia, has been without a permanent archbishop for nearly four months. On May 2, Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, who had headed the archdiocese since 2007. The Pope subsequently appointed Pezzi's auxiliary bishop, Nikolai Dubinin, as apostolic administrator while the archdiocese remains vacant.

This situation gives Gallagher's visit particular pastoral significance. He is scheduled to meet with Catholic clergy and religious figures on Thursday, celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and subsequently hold discussions with Russia's bishops.

Pezzi's resignation at the relatively young age of 65 has ushered in a period of uncertainty for the Catholic Church in Russia and its already delicate relationship with the Holy See, the Russian Orthodox Church and Moscow's authorities. Although his departure was officially attributed to health reasons, questions remain about whether more complicated ecclesiastical and diplomatic considerations may also have played a role.

A knowledgeable source on Russia who has long been familiar with the country's Catholic and Orthodox circles suggested that Pezzi had in fact been “recalled to Rome.”

Sensitive organizational questions

Another particularly sensitive issue concerns the Ukrainian Orthodox Church linked to the Moscow Patriarchate. The Holy See's position has generally distinguished between religious institutions and individual responsibility, arguing that individuals who commit crimes, even when they are members of the clergy, should be held accountable rather than religious institutions being collectively punished.

As the article recalls, Ukrainian authorities, however, have passed legislation targeting religious organisations linked to Russia. Moscow strongly condemned the measures, while Pope Francis also criticised them. Although the Vatican's position was appreciated by Russian authorities, it was met with incomprehension in Ukraine, where the issue is closely tied to the country's security concerns and its relationship with Russia.

At the same time, Rome has been highly critical of the theological arguments used by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill to justify the war. In a June 2022 interview with German daily newspaper Tagespost, Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, said he saw “a heresy in the fact that the patriarch dares to legitimise the brutal and absurd war in Ukraine for pseudo-religious reasons.”

Shaky bilateral ties

Gallagher's trip is particularly significant because he is the first high-ranking papal diplomat to travel to Russia since the Russian army launched its offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.

Former Pope Francis had entrusted Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi with a diplomatic mission of sorts beginning in 2023, but Zuppi's efforts operated under a different, more informal humanitarian framework. He did not act within the formal structure of the Holy See's diplomatic service in the same way as Gallagher.

Beyond his meeting with Lavrov, Gallagher's Moscow agenda includes talks with Yuri Ushakov, foreign-policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as a meeting with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations.

As the Catholic outlet highlights, Gallagher's visit therefore represents more than a renewed diplomatic contact between the Vatican and Moscow. It combines the Holy See's effort to preserve a channel of communication with Russia with a push to address the humanitarian consequences of the war, while also coming at a sensitive moment for the Catholic Church's position in Russia and its relations with both Moscow and Kyiv.

By Nazrin Sadigova