Amidst drones and commemorations, the Vatican reaffirms its full support for Kyiv

Rome. Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, has always been the most pro-Ukrainian voice within the Vatican leadership. Even at times when tensions with Kyiv were at their height – back when it was suggested that one should have the courage to ‘wave the white flag when you realise you have been defeated’ – he has always remained steadfast in his unconditional support for the country under attack from Moscow. In recent days, he has been in Ukraine, sent by the Pope for the celebrations at the Carmelite sanctuary in Berdychiv to mark the 35th anniversary of the reopening of Latin Rite Catholic places of worship. “The suffering of the Ukrainian people and their sacrifices must not be forgotten. “We must create the right conditions for a just peace,” he said. Before returning to Rome and paying his respects at the memorial to the victims of Maidan Square, the senior Vatican official met with Volodymyr Zelensky.

Gallagher immediately emphasised that he had ‘witnessed’ the heavy Russian attack carried out on the night of 19 July (41 missiles and 125 drones launched across the country, mostly on the capital, causing numerous fires in various neighbourhoods) and that he had seen first-hand the dangers to which the population is constantly exposed. The bishop informed Zelensky of the Pope’s support (whom Zelensky has met on several occasions, including at Castel Gandolfo) and reiterated that the primary means of ending the conflict must be diplomatic, as also noted by representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations. On this point, more or less, the parties were in agreement. The question is: how? Monsignor Gallagher reiterated his willingness to host a ‘leadership-level’ meeting at the Vatican, Zelensky expressed his agreement, thanking Rome for its help in the complex operation to repatriate Ukrainian children abducted by the Russians (Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who had been appointed by Pope Francis and confirmed by Pope Leo XIV to oversee the case of the abducted children, was also present there in recent days) and for the return home of civilians whom – as the President put it – “Russia is holding illegally captive”. The Holy See has confirmed its support for Kyiv’s accession to the European Union. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said he had “briefed Archbishop Gallagher on the situation on the battlefield, Ukraine’s peace efforts and Europe’s growing role in promoting a global and lasting peace”. The Kremlin continues to intensify its terror against civilians and is expanding its campaign to recruit mercenaries worldwide, including in Africa. We discussed ways to help prevent such exploitation of vulnerable communities through dialogue with partners and religious leaders.”

The problem is always the same: it is Russia that refuses to negotiate, and refuses to negotiate at the Vatican. Whilst at the start of the conflict Moscow had sought to align itself with Rome in order to gain visibility and break the Western front of support for Kyiv – a move that, for decades, has been employed, for example, by the Iran of the ayatollahs, even in recent months – subsequently, its resistance has been total. This is partly for purely religious reasons: the hardline, nationalist and conservative wing of the Moscow Patriarchate cannot accept that the Pope of Rome should act as mediator. 

“It is not appropriate for Orthodox countries to discuss issues relating to the elimination of root causes in a Catholic forum,” said Sergei Lavrov, closing off any possibility of compromise. And then, of course, there was no easy way to make amends for Pope Francis’s quip to Kirill via Zoom: simply to act as “Putin’s altar boy”. Furthermore, it was precisely the statements made by Archbishop Gallagher that had unnerved the Kremlin; at the UN – and thus before an audience that has always been favoured by the Russians – he had said that “the Holy See stands with Ukraine and fully supports its territorial integrity”. He thus went beyond even that line of thinking, widespread within the Curia and in various Catholic circles, according to which peace – or at least an effective truce – can only be achieved by freezing the conflict along the current front lines, somewhat in the Korean style, leaving Putin with what he has occupied over four years of war. The week’s statement from the Vatican’s third-ranking official has made it clear, once again, that Rome stands with Kyiv. Without any ‘buts’ or speculations about NATO pressure on the borders.