The Pope has made it clear that pursuing peace is a top priority.

Meanwhile, Vatican officials are working tirelessly to promote peace through various channels.

"I encourage faithful to take only one side in this conflict, the side of peace" Francis said during his weekly audience on October 18.

Vatican diplomats have aligned with international voices in urging a renewed pursuit of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

They are advocating for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state alongside security assurances for Israel. This is a stance consistent with the Holy See's position since 2013.

Pope Francis also urged the faithful to support the cause of peace. He emphasised the importance of dialogue to end the cycle of violence.

During a visit to a military cemetery on All Souls Day, Francis commented "Wars are always a defeat, always. There is never a total victory. One side wins over the other. But behind that, there is always defeat in the price that has to be paid."

Francis has also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the creation of humanitarian corridors to help relieve the suffering of its besieged inhabitants.

Serious concern

Meanwhile, Vatican diplomats have engaged with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to promote this message of peace.

The Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, expressed serious concern to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian about the situation in Israel and Palestine.

In response to the conflict in Ukraine, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, as his personal peace envoy.

It remains unclear whether the pope will appoint another envoy for the Mideast. However, Zuppi has weighed in on the hostilities in Gaza. He underlined the need "for an authoritative Palestinian leadership that is capable of defending its people."

Francis admitted to Italian news channel TG1 that, without paths for dialogue, "the war in the Holy Land scares me" and talked about his concerns for an escalation of the conflict.

"The time is very dark" he said. "We can't seem to find the ability to think clearly and I will add that it's a further defeat. It's been this way since the last world war, from 1945 until now, one defeat after the other because wars never stopped."

Sources

Religion News Service

Reuters

Archbishop Paul Gallagher joined a chorus of concerns raised by various speakers regarding artificial intelligence (AI).

"It is imperative to ensure adequate, meaningful and consistent human oversight of weapon systems," Gallagher said.

"Only human beings are truly capable of seeing and judging the ethical impact of their actions, as well as assessing their consequent responsibilities."

UN advisory board on AI

Additionally, the Vatican advocated for the establishment of an international organisation focused on AI to promote scientific and technological exchange for peaceful purposes and the common good.

The United Nations plans to convene an expert advisory board on AI to explore the science, risks, opportunities and governmental approaches surrounding this technology.

AI has become a central point of interest for nations, multinational groups and tech companies, sparking discussions about its potential benefits and risks.

As a non-voting "permanent observer" in the UN, the Holy See delivered one of the most extensive remarks on AI during the assembly.

Archbishop Gallagher highlighted Pope Francis's concerns about the digital world, including: "It is not acceptable that the decision about someone's life and future be entrusted to an algorithm."

Killer robots

Gallagher called for immediate talks to establish a legally binding agreement governing lethal autonomous weapons systems, often called "killer robots." He proposed "a moratorium on them pending the conclusion of negotiations."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also supported banning systems that operate without human control or oversight and violate international humanitarian law.

Additionally, Guterres urged countries to work towards a legally binding prohibition by 2026.

However, concerns have arisen about the potential limitations such a prohibition might impose, especially if adversaries or non-governmental groups develop similar systems. Questions persist regarding the distinction between autonomous weapons and existing computer-aided systems.

Sources

AP News

Mirage News

CathNews New Zealand

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See's ‘foreign minister' said, "The Holy See has no doubt that a world free from nuclear weapons is both necessary and possible".

He continued by noting that "amid the dreadful conflicts and unrest which we witness in many parts of the world, and in face of the continuing escalation of the war in Ukraine, with words and actions that risk to leave less space for diplomatic solutions we must never abandon the search for dialogue".

Archbishop Gallagher explained that dialogue can nourish critical, rational and objective thinking and that it helps us to "counter false prejudices".

This is a very uncertain moment, one in which the threat of nuclear weapons has returned to haunt us, said the Archbishop.

He noted that the Holy See signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons "with the aim of moving beyond nuclear deterrence to a world entirely free of nuclear weapons, affirming that nuclear weapons are arms of mass and environmental destruction".

However, there is "very slow progress being made on the disarmament agenda," lamented Archbishop Gallagher, and with that in mind, though "we might be tempted to lose hope," we must not be deterred by setbacks.

"We must press ahead with perseverance and determination in our common efforts to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons. We must make every effort to avoid dismantling the international architecture of arms control, especially in the field of weapons of mass destruction," stressed Archbishop Gallagher.

In conclusion, Archbishop Gallagher said the Holy See reiterates its "sincere gratitude and affirms its unwavering support for the IAEA's many contributions to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, as well as to the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technology".

Sources

La Croix International

Vatican News

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, 72, was asked about his meeting with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, following a May 17-20 visit to Ukraine.

Gądecki (pictured) told KAI: "In my opinion, the Vatican's approach to Russia should change to a more mature one, since the past and present approach seems very naive and utopian.

"Of course, the goal of establishing contacts and dialogue is noble, which is based on the fact that Russia is big and deserves respect. But this is not accompanied by sufficiently serious reflection on the Vatican's part."

He went on: "For Russia, the Vatican is an important entity, but at the same time, it should be humiliated, as Putin himself has shown several times by being intentionally late by several hours for a scheduled meeting with the pope."

Gądecki was referring to meetings between the Russian president and the pope at the Vatican in 2013, 2015 and 2019. Putin was reportedly 50 minutes late for the papal audience in 2013, 70 minutes late in 2015 and nearly an hour late in 2019.

The archbishop added: "The Holy See should understand that in its relations with Russia it should be more cautious to say the least, because, from the experience of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, it seems that lying is second nature to Russian diplomacy."

Gadecki acknowledged that the Vatican knew Christians were fighting on both sides of the war. However, he also noted that the Vatican normally does not point to an aggressor.

"Yet today, in a situation of war, it's crucially important the Holy See supports Ukraine at all levels and isn't guided by utopian thoughts," said Archbishop Gadecki.

The archbishop told KAI the Polish delegation had seen buildings destroyed by Russian tank fire outside the massacre towns of Irpin and Bucha, near Kyiv. He said he had witnessed similar destruction during visits to Iraq and Syria. The mass graves reminded him of Russia's 1940 massacre of interned Polish army officers at Katyn.

"When I prayed at places where dead people on the proscribed lists were buried and later exhumed, I had the sad thought that human civilisation isn't really making any progress," Archbishop Gadecki said.

"We've heard so many declarations and incantations over recent decades about such crimes no longer being possible given the present level of civilisation, but murdering people has turned out to be just as possible as before ... As soon as a political leader appears with strength and determination to destroy his opponents, he'll do so, and no one can stop him."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

National Catholic Reporter

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, arrived on Monday in the Russian capital, where he held meetings with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The 67-year-old Vatican prelate also met with Metropolitan Hilarion, chairman of the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate's foreign relations department.

Following the diplomatic meetings, Gallagher celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow.

Lavrov noted "the many convergences of views and interests" between Moscow and Rome, especially regarding "various conflicts around the globe".

"Russia appreciates the Holy See's efforts to uphold the rule of international law and the UN Charter, which are peaceful and diplomatic means of resolving conflicts," said a statement released by the foreign ministry on Monday.

Archbishop Gallagher voiced pleasure at an existing agreement between the Russian health minister and the Rome-based Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital.

He also noted that Russia and the Holy See are to sign an agreement to mutually recognize diplomas granted by each state.

But the broadcast was cut off when the British archbishop began to speak about "outstanding issues".

During the press conference, both Lavrov and Gallagher welcomed the "good bilateral discussions" between the Vatican and Russia, and the convergence of views, especially "on the multilateral level".

The Holy See diplomat's trip confirms that Moscow and Rome continue to look for ways to bolster Vatican-Russia diplomatic relations, both on the political and religious levels.

"Perhaps this trip is the prelude to a joint initiative on the promotion of peace," suggested an observer. He said Archbishop Gallagher's visit should be seen from "a perspective that is more political than religious".

Sources

• La Croix
• Paudal

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's equivalent of a foreign minister, said June 25 that he believes that the Holy See can make a positive contribution to Lebanon's economic and political crisis.

"The Holy See is deeply concerned about the collapse of the country economically, financially, socially, which would particularly affect the Christian community and the identity of Lebanon," Gallagher told journalists at a Vatican press conference.

He said that a weakening of the Christian presence due to emigration "risks destroying the internal equilibrium and the reality of Lebanon itself, further putting the Christian presence in the Middle East at risk."

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Local media have called the Vatican's intervention in Italian law "unprecedented" in the history of the relationship between the two states.

According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, a letter was delivered by Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary of relations with states, to the Italian government.

The "anti-homophobia" bill, known by the name "Ddl Zan," is being examined by the justice commission of the Italian Senate, after the text received initial approval from the House last November.

The bill seeks to prevent and oppose "discrimination and violence for reasons based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability."

The note from Gallagher said parts of the legislation violated a treaty made between Italy and the Catholic church in the 1920s that secured the freedoms and rights of the church, Corriere della Sera reported.

The agreement guarantees that the Italian Republic recognises "the full freedom of the Catholic Church to carry out its pastoral, educational and charitable mission, of evangelisation and sanctification."

According to article 2, paragraph 3 of the agreement, "Catholics and their associations and organisations are guaranteed full freedom of assembly and expression of thought by word, writing and any other means of dissemination."

The intervention has further stoked a fiery debate surrounding the law, designed to make violence and hate speech against LGBT people and disabled people, as well as misogyny, a crime.

An atheist group in Italy protested the Vatican's actions, saying they "violated the independence and the sovereignty of the Republic."

"The government has the political and moral obligation to not only just resist pressure but to unilaterally denounce this unprecedented interference in state affairs,'' the secretary of the Union of Atheists and Agnostic Rationalists, Roberto Grendene, said in a statement.

A gay-rights group, Gay Party for LGBT+ Rights, called on Premier Mario Draghi's government to reject the Vatican's interference "and improve the law so that it truly has, at its heart, the fight against homophobia and transphobia."

"We find worrying the Vatican meddling in the law against homophobia,'' said the group's spokesman, Fabrizio Marrazzo.

Marrazzo said Gay Pride Parades in Milan and Rome on Saturday would send a clear message from the streets on the topic "and defend the laicity of the state."

Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti, president of the Italian bishops' conference, urged more "open dialogue" about the issue "to arrive at a solution without ambiguity and legislative stretch."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Business Insider

The Guardian

Vladimir Makei, the Belarus Minister of Foreign Affairs, reiterated the invitation during a meeting with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, who is the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States.

Makei told Gallagher, who was visiting Belarus, that the invitation remained open despite tensions between the local Catholic Church and the government.

"Your visit proves that Belarus and the Holy See have special relations of mutual understanding and trust. We are satisfied with the dynamics of the development of contacts at the high and highest levels."

Just days earlier on 31 August, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who is the leader of the Catholic Church in Belarus and a citizen of the country, was blocked from returning home after a visit to Poland.

Makei says Belarus and the Holy See enjoyed a high level of cooperation at the United Nations because of shared values.

He thanked the Vatican for supporting the Group of Friends United against Human Trafficking, an association of UN member states established at the initiative of Belarus in 2010.

"We would like to develop and strengthen our cooperation in all areas," Makei says.

The Holy See press office says Gallagher's aim in visiting the country intended "to express the attention and closeness of the Holy Father to the Catholic Church and to the whole country."

Gallagher's programme included "meetings with the civil authorities and those in charge of the Catholic Church."

The Eastern European country has been rocked by protests following a disputed presidential election on 9 August.

President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory with 80 percent of the vote - a victory disputed by his opposition.

Amid ongoing protests, one presidential hopeful has fled the country and the authorities have detained opposition leaders, provoking an international outcry.

Kondrusiewicz, the president of the country's Catholic bishops' conference, spoke out in defense of protesters after they were targeted by police following the election.

This week a Sunday Mass broadcast from a Cathedral in Minsk was taken off the airwaves of the largest nationwide radio channel in Belarus.

Bishop Yuri Kasabutsky, of the Minsk-Mogilev archdiocese, says the sudden cessation of the broadcasts shows that the authorities are trying to "put pressure" on the Church.

On Friday, Catholics in Minsk held a city-wide Stations of the Cross to pray for Kondrusiewicz's return home.

The website of the Catholic Church in Belarus reported Sept. 11 that Kasabutsky addressed participants, saying: "We will follow this path of the Savior for the freedom of the Church in Belarus, for the return of our Metropolitan, for justice, goodness, and peace in our country."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Vatican News

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for Relations with States, and the foreign minister of the People's Republic of China and counsellor of state, Wang Yi, met in Germany last Friday.

They were both attending the Munich Security Conference and convened outside the formal agenda to that annual event.

It is considered to be the highest-level meeting between the Vatican and China since communist rule began in China in 1949.

The Vatican said the diplomats met in "a cordial climate" and "recalled the contacts between the two sides that had developed positively over time."

Gallagher and Wang's discussion "highlighted the importance of the Provisional Agreement on the [2018] Nomination of Bishops ...", the Vatican reported, and "renewed the will to pursue the institutional dialogue at a bilateral level to foster the life of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people."

During their meeting the diplomats discussed the 2018 deal between the Vatican and China giving the Vatican the final say on the appointment of bishops in China - a matter of some contention up until that point.

The two sides also agreed to continue "institutional, bi-lateral dialogue" aimed at benefiting both the Catholic Church and the Chinese people.

The Vatican's statement concluded by expressing the mutual hope "for greater international cooperation so as to promote civil coexistence and peace in the world."

It also said the two sides "exchanged considerations on intercultural dialogue and human rights."

While relations between the Vatican and China have improved since the 2018 deal, and both sides now recognise the pope as supreme leader of the Catholic Church, conservative Catholics say the Vatican sold out to the communist government.

Source

• America Magazine
• Reuters.com
• Image: America Magazine

Quoting Pope Francis, Gallagher says there's a tendency to reduce religions "to the quiet obscurity of the individual's conscience or to relegate them to the enclosed precincts of churches, synagogues or mosques." Read more

What results can an agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme bring for peace in the Middle East? Why does the Holy See view it as a positive thing?

The Holy See views the Iranian nuclear agreement in a positive light because it believes that controversies and difficulties must always be resolved through dialogue and negotiation.

The deal reached is the result of years of negotiations over a question that had caused a great deal of concern. The fact that the solution found satisfies all sides is a very positive thing. Clearly, this agreement will require the continued efforts and commitment of everyone if it is to bear fruit.

It is significant that there is a mutual trust between the Parties; it is this trust that has made an understanding possible and it must be fostered.

I must reiterate that dialogue and negotiation, not fighting, are the means to resolving existing conflicts in the Middle East and these must be dealt with on both a global and regional level.

This path does require courageous decisions for the good of all, but it is that which will lead to a much-hoped-for peace in the Region.

Can you comment on the Greek crisis and the problems it faces with the European Union? Do you not think that Europe is increasingly becoming a technical and financial community that struggles to identify itself within a common project?

Certainly the Greek crisis has highlighted some difficulties and certain limits experienced by the European Union.

Unfortunately, Europe, as it was originally conceived by its "founding fathers" at the end of World War Two, cannot be reduced to an exclusively economic and financial institution or a place where, to put it better, the economic aspect prevails over all other matters.

The sharing of resources (initially through the ECSC, the European Coal and Steel Community), in a spirit of solidarity, had at first formed the essential premise for keeping further conflicts at bay.

Although the economy is important, it needs to co-exist alongside other cultural, political and ethical values that are just as key for the growth of European society. Continue reading

Sources

• Vassallomalta
• Image: Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Among the committee's accusations were failures to report allegations of abuse to authorities, and refusing to disclose information for criminal proceedings.

The report cited Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Papal Nuncio to Australia, who, it said, last year invoked diplomatic immunity when he refused to disclose documents about priests, including a notorious paedophile.

The committee was also troubled by "numerous reports" in which clergy under investigation were transferred to other dioceses where they were able to avoid punishment.

It also wants an update on the status of Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, the former nuncio to the Dominican Republic.

The Vatican removed him from his position last year after accusations he paid for sex with boys.

In a report released on May 23, the committee on torture asked the Vatican to establish an independent abuse complaints system.

It also asked that meaningful sanctions be imposed on Church authorities that fail to follow Church law in responding to abuse allegations.

And it wants Church officials worldwide to be required to report abuse allegations to local police.

The Vatican has strongly recommended such reporting, but it is obligatory only when local civil law requires it.

The committee praised Pope Francis for establishing the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, but wants to know more details about how it will work.

It also praised the Pope for "acknowledging the damage done by the sexual abuse of children by some priests".

In response to the report, the Vatican said it would "give serious consideration" to the recommendations.

But it contested the committee's assumptions about the extent of its jurisdictional powers around the world.

The Vatican statement also acknowledged that sex abuse is as "a serious crime and a grave violation of human dignity".

But it said it cannot be equated to state-sponsored torture under the terms of the treaty the UN committee overseas.

The committee on torture's report came three months after the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child accused the Vatican of systematically adopting policies that allowed abuse.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• Image: National Post