Promoting peace through dialogue and negotiations

The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, travelled to the Philippines for a five-day visit, from 1-5 July, where he participated in the annual celebration of “Pope’s Day” marking the feast day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul at the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila.

On Tuesday, 2 July, Archbishop Gallagher paid a courtesy visit to the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., at the Presidential Palace of Malacañang in Manila. Before meeting with the President, Archbishop Gallagher was received by Enrique Manalo, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines. They discussed common issues concerning the Philippines and the Holy See. Voicing the Philippines’ firm commitment to upholding a rules-based international order, the Minister said, “We recognize the contribution of the Holy See in promoting peace, human rights” and developing “cooperation worldwide”.

Archbishop Gallagher noted that the Holy See gives particular value to its relationship with the Southeast Asian country “for the very significant contribution that Filipinos make, as Catholics, worldwide to the well-being of the Catholic Church and many of our communities”. Filipino Catholics, he added, “are excellent agents for evangelization and for sharing the Good News of the Gospel”. The Archbishop noted that the priorities for the Holy See at this time “are clearly the many, too many, conflicts in the world today, and the need to promote peace through dialogue and negotiations”.

“We believe that in many of these aspects, the Holy See and the Republic of the Philippines share the same values, the same vision of things, and therefore we will likely be able to work together also in the future”, he said.

On Wednesday, 3 July, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations moved to Malaybalay, in the Northern Mindanao region, to participate in the plenary Session of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines ( cbcp ). The following day he celebrated Holy Mass with the bishops in the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Malaybalay. On Friday, 5 July, the final day of his trip, Archbishop Gallagher took part in a Conference at the Foreign Service Institute in Manila affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.