Archbishop Gallagher: Vatican diplomacy has served peace for centuries

Defense of life, the family, religious freedom, human rights, democracy, multilateralism, and international law constitute the “fundamental values” shared by the Holy See and Cape Verde.

Alongside these are major “global challenges” such as conflicts, the climate crisis, inequalities, migration, technological transformations, drug trafficking, a crisis of values, individualism, and the loss of a sense of truth.

This was the overall picture outlined by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, in the conference held on Monday, May 11, in Cape Verde.

He is visiting the African island republic until May 14 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the country.

“Half a century of dialogue, cooperation, and genuine friendship between a young sovereign state and one of the oldest diplomatic institutions in the world,” the prelate highlighted in his speech in Spanish.

He emphasized that papal diplomacy is strengthened by “a long historical tradition” geared toward the “central objective” of peace and the defense and promotion of the dignity of the human person.

In this regard, he then recalled the origins of papal diplomacy in the 11th century, during the Gregorian Reform, with the institutionalization within the Church of the “right of legation.”

He then underlined the institutional stability achieved in the 15th century, with the transition — later adopted by other States as well — from occasional missions to permanent ones, a central feature of modern diplomacy.

Lastly, he focused on the consolidation of papal diplomacy in the 16th and 17th centuries, highlighting the distinction between nuncios, legates, and internuncios.