The Vatican held talks with Lavrov regarding the war in Ukraine
On August 25, the Vatican’s top diplomat, Paul Richard Gallagher, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. The two sides discussed the war against Ukraine and agreed to maintain contact. The Vatican emphasized that it supports an end to hostilities and the start of genuine negotiations.
The talks took place in Moscow on August 25. The foreign ministers discussed international issues, particularly the situation surrounding Russia’s war against Ukraine. After the meeting, Gallagher stated that the Vatican continues to insist on a diplomatic resolution. According to him, the Holy See believes that the war cannot be ended by military means alone.
“During our conversation, I reaffirmed Pope Leo XIV’s call for a cessation of hostilities and the start of genuine negotiations with the support of the international community,” the archbishop said.
He added that the Vatican wants to create conditions for serious political and diplomatic work. “The Holy See’s position remains clear: the conflict cannot be resolved by military means. It is necessary to create conditions for serious political and diplomatic work,” Gallagher emphasized.
The Vatican Wants to Maintain a Channel of Communication with Moscow
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue their dialogue. The Vatican acknowledged, however, that many serious differences remain between the parties. Gallagher noted that during the talks, the parties were able to identify specific issues on which mutual understanding is possible. These include, in particular, humanitarian issues. “Despite significant differences in our assessments of various issues, some common ground was found. And we reaffirmed the need to maintain open channels of communication and the importance of striving for cooperation on humanitarian issues,” the diplomat said.
Thus, the Vatican plans to remain one of the channels of diplomatic communication with Russia. At the same time, the Holy See publicly emphasizes the need to end the war and move toward negotiations.
What is the Vatican’s position?
Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly called for an end to hostilities and a diplomatic resolution to the war. The Vatican traditionally seeks to maintain contact with both sides of a conflict to keep the door open for negotiations and humanitarian agreements. In the case of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Holy See is also attempting to play the role of mediator on specific humanitarian issues. In particular, the Vatican may be involved in discussions regarding the return of people and other humanitarian issues.
At the same time, the mere fact that Gallagher held talks with Lavrov does not mean that agreements have been reached to end the war. The parties merely confirmed their willingness to maintain diplomatic contact. The main outcome of the meeting so far remains the agreement not to close the channel of communication. The Vatican hopes that through such contacts, it will be possible to find solutions at least to certain humanitarian issues and create conditions for further diplomacy. This is reported by Russian media.
The relics of St. John the Baptist were delivered to Kalush in the Carpathian region for permanent safekeeping at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The relics were handed over by Bishop Irenaeus Bilyk, a papal canon of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
