Ukraine: Archbishop Gallagher calls for the conditions for a just peace
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, visited Ukraine from 16-21 July as Pope Leo XIV’s envoy for the 35th anniversary of the Renewal of Latin Rite structures. He met Ukrainian officials, including the Ambassador to the Holy See and local authorities in Lviv, and called for conditions that would bring a just peace to the region. The visit included a prayer and minute of silence for those lost in the war, and a ceremony at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv on 19 July. Gallagher also toured the Ukrainian Catholic University, noting the impact of the war on students and staff.
2 months ago
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, spent a week in Ukraine (16‑21 July 2026) as Pope Leo XIV’s envoy for the 35th anniversary of the Latin‑rite Church renewal, visiting Lviv and Kyiv, meeting officials, praying with the faithful, and urging the creation of conditions that would allow a just and lasting peace in the war‑torn country. 1 2
The mission coincided with celebrations at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv and recalled Saint John Paul II’s 2001 apostolic journey. Gallagher entered Ukraine via the Krakovets border crossing after arriving in Kraków, Poland, because Ukrainian airspace remains closed to civilian flights. 1
Gallagher declared that “a just end to the war means restoring peace to this part of Europe” and emphasized that the Church “has not forgotten the suffering of the Ukrainian people and their sacrifices.” He called for “the right conditions for a just peace,” linking perseverance, faith, and solidarity to the prospect of lasting reconciliation. 1 2
In Lviv, Gallagher was received by Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki and local authorities. He observed a nationwide minute of silence for war victims and visited the Ukrainian Catholic University, where he learned about its academic programmes and its role in sheltering civilians during attacks. The university president, Archbishop Borys Gudziak, highlighted the institution’s service‑oriented education and support for people with disabilities. 1
Gallagher prayed at St. Nicholas Church, recently damaged by a December 2024 missile strike, and reiterated Pope Leo XIV’s daily prayers for Ukraine. He praised the parishioners’ perseverance and asked them to pray for the Pope’s eventual visit. 2
He toured Bratstva Tarasivtsiv Street, where a May 2026 missile attack killed 24 people, including children. There he met local officials, UNHCR representatives, and witnessed a memorial of stuffed animals and photographs honoring the victims. UN officials noted that June 2026 alone saw 300 civilian deaths, the highest yearly toll since the war began. 2
Gallagher inspected the St. Thomas Aquinas Dominican Institute of Theology, damaged by nearby missile and drone strikes, and praised its role in Catholic education for over a hundred students of mixed faiths. He also visited the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site whose cathedral roof was repaired after a June 2026 attack. 2
Across both cities, Gallagher’s itinerary combined diplomatic engagement, pastoral care, and on‑the‑ground assessment of war damage. His repeated emphasis on perseverance, prayer, and the need for “right conditions” underscores the Vatican’s call for a negotiated settlement that restores peace while honoring the sacrifices of the Ukrainian people. 1 2*
Investigate the Catholic Church’s role in fostering just peace in conflict zones
The Catholic Church fosters “just peace” in conflict zones through a threefold mission: (1) theological formation of peace as justice and love, (2) pastoral and juridical practices that build reconciliation rather than escalation, and (3) diplomatic and humanitarian action that supports dialogue, the protection of the vulnerable, and ethically grounded negotiation.
A key Catholic starting point is that peace is not merely the absence of war, nor a balance of power, nor something imposed by dictatorship. The Council teaches that peace is “rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice,” built ceaselessly through an order willed by God for human society, and protected by lawful authority and disciplined management of passions.
This matters for conflict zones because the Church’s “peace” is not passive. It demands structural and moral commitments: respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, brotherhood, and personal well-being safeguarded so that people can “freely and trustingly share” spiritual riches and talents.
Finally, the Church teaches that peace is also “the fruit of love,” linked to Christ’s reconciling work. That grounds a distinctive Catholic approach: justice is necessary, but love completes justice—meaning peacemaking involves both ethical demands and reconciliation of persons.
Peace is not only something to receive; it is “also a task to be undertaken.” In the Church’s peace-education teaching, Christians are urged to be active in compassion and solidarity, working together in fraternity and developing awareness of national and international issues—especially the need for mechanisms for redistribution of wealth, development cooperation, and conflict resolution.
The emphasis is practical and formative: peacemakers must be educated in “compassion, solidarity, working together, fraternity,” and in the patience required to seek justice and peace even when it involves sacrifice and going against the “tide.”
In other words, the Church sees just peace as something that grows through habits—not only through diplomatic moments. That long view is essential in conflict zones where fear, hatred, and revenge can harden into “common sense” over time.
Catholic peacebuilding also has a “micro-level” dimension: how communities handle disputes. A USCCB document describing conflict-resolution in ecclesial life cites principles of Christian teaching (love of enemies, forgiveness, peacemaking) and argues that in the Church, the primary process for resolving disputes should be conciliation of persons, not simply assertion of legal rights.
This aligns with Catholic canonical practice: when civil controversy among the faithful reaches court, the judge is to admonish the parties to come to compromise if there is hope of friendly settlement, and the document describes the essential elements of conciliation, including face-to-face dialogue and the ability for each side to state their perspective to a conciliator.
For conflict zones, this translates to a broader ecclesial conviction: peace requires encounter and responsive dialogue, not abstract victory. If dialogue collapses because each side believes only a “vindication at any cost” of principles/authority is acceptable, reconciliation will fail.
The Church does not treat justice as optional. Pope Benedict XVI explicitly links justice and peace with the principle Opus iustitiae pax—“the work of justice is peace”—explaining that re-establishment of justice is destined to reconstruct orderly relations among the faithful and between them and ecclesiastical authority.
He also stresses that injustice should be confronted first with “spiritual weapons of prayer, charity, forgiveness and penance,” but in some cases procedural means are “appropriate and necessary,” since they can open opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation.
While Pope Benedict’s text focuses on internal Church processes, the conceptual pattern is transferable: peace requires an objective moral order and fair processes that aim at communion and harmony. This counters the idea that peace is simply “silencing conflict.”
In conflict zones, the Church’s influence is also diplomatic—most visibly through the Holy See’s participation in international settings and mediation efforts.
At the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia (Holy See) emphasized that all parties must remain open to dialogue so as not to close “off the only reasonable door to peace.” He also cited Pope Francis’ appeal for weapons to be silenced and for conditions to begin negotiations that are consensual, just, and stable—not solutions imposed by force.
In the same intervention, the Holy See frames modern warfare ethically: acts aimed indiscriminately at destroying cities and populations “merit unequivocal and unhesitating condemnation,” and the statement highlights concern for the vulnerable (including children and displaced persons).
Pope Leo XIV’s 2025 remarks show the Holy See’s peacebuilding posture as mediation for “a just solution for everyone.” In the context of Gaza, he notes the Holy See’s public support for a two-State solution, and he describes ongoing effort as a mediating voice to help find a just solution for all.
Regarding Ukraine, he describes the Vatican’s hope that dialogue and ceasefire can be promoted through the involvement of mediators, pointing to concrete proposals for peace and the importance of dialogue between the parties.
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher (Secretary for Relations with States) frames the Church’s international advocacy in terms of multilateral responsibility and the UN framework. He argues that war harms civilians (especially children and the elderly), and describes the “logic of war” as infiltrating human hearts. He then calls for creative and courageous artisans of peace and for the search for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine as part of global peace.
Gallagher also explicitly links the Church’s practical posture to humanitarian initiatives and urging international actors to weave constructive dialogue.
(And his role as Vatican Secretary for Relations with States is consistent with the Church’s general structure for external relations. )
In conflict zones, humanitarian relief is not only compassion—it is part of protecting peace’s human foundation: the goods of persons and dignity. The Holy See’s UN interventions and public statements repeatedly connect peace to the relief of suffering and care for those worst affected.
For Ukraine, Archbishop Caccia notes that the Holy See provided aid through its charity structures, and that the wider Catholic Church—religious orders, lay communities, and faith-based organizations—delivered assistance to millions, including war refugees.
Pope Leo XIV’s diplomatic remarks also implicitly support a framework where peace is pursued through dialogue and mediation—while the Church continues to engage in concrete humanitarian and pastoral work in parallel.
Catholic peacebuilding must combine moral clarity with reconciliation. Pope John Paul II’s message to Sudanian bishops emphasizes that after years of violence, the Church seeks to build a society worthy of the human person and to be an instrument for peace and reconciliation.
Importantly, he says this does not mean Catholics should not “forthrightly speak the truth” and “claim your legitimate rights.” Rather, that truth-telling becomes part of a wider invitation “to all men and women of good will” to walk the path of mutual respect and reconciliation.
This provides a nuanced Catholic answer to a common tension in conflict zones: peace does not require silence about injustice. Peace requires truth pursued in a reconciliation framework, not truth used as a weapon.
Drawing together these sources, the Church’s approach to just peace in conflict zones consistently includes:
The Catholic Church’s role in fostering just peace in conflict zones is neither purely spiritual nor purely political. It is a comprehensive mission grounded in the Church’s teaching that peace is an “enterprise of justice” completed by love: pursued through education and fraternity, conciliation and fair procedures, diplomatic mediation and negotiation conditions, and humanitarian charity that protects persons—especially the most vulnerable—until just and lasting peace can truly take root.