Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary of State – Corriere.it

Friendly, gentle in privacy, but armored in public, pragmatic, very English: it is hard to say more than this about the Archbishop Paul Richard GallagherAnd the Responsible for Vatican diplomacy since 2014. To the typical secrecy of Vatican diplomats, she adds a personal appreciation for all the evidence that helps her leave no trace of herself though The high vision job he has held for seven years now. Even the issue of Brexit – which the Vatican world vigorously opposed – could not affect this reserve. The Holy See respects the final decision of the British people because it was up to the British electorate to decide, they responded on the eve of the referendum which was then won by those who wanted to leave. Exit won’t make Europe stronger The inside was better than the outside. All the reporters managed to get out of his mouth as the battle raged. After the referendum in the past two years Crushing Britain’s exit from the European Union The work of the “British Gallagher” turned out to be a balancing act: the decision made by the people must be respected. We must pray that in the end everything will benefit both Great Britain and Europeans.

Attitude towards nationalities and China

But the Archbishop was very decisive when Francis dictated the line. for example sui The return of nationalities and on China. Absolute nationalities tend to be excluded and the Pope calls on us to be mindful of the dangers inherent in sovereignty. Again: The Church has no nationalistic visions, it values ​​patriotism very highly, but this must be seasoned with a sense of openness to others. Perhaps the only occasion where Gallagher expressed himself quite frankly was Controversy with the Trump administration About the Vatican Agreement with China. A story from last September. Trump’s Secretary of State came to Rome They repeatedly attacked that agreement, arguing that it harms the image of the Catholic Church in the world.

Experience in ambassadors all over the world

Gallagher was asked if in that attack he saw an attempt to exploit the Pope in light of the US presidential election and this was the answer: Well, yes. One of the reasons why the Pope did not accept it. Gallagher, 67 yearsHe has extensive diplomatic experience gained in both ambassadors around the world, and at the Vatican headquarters where he was Among the collaborators with Pietro Parolin, the current foreign minister proposed to the pope for The role he occupies now. He joined the diplomatic corps in 1984 and worked in embassies in Tanzania, Uruguay, the Philippines, Burundi, Guatemala and Australia. He was a permanent observer at the Council of Europe. Those who know him well argue that there is no personal role for him in it The note was sent to Italy: Will be Text of work by offices with direct instructions from the Pope Gallagher signed up because of the job he holds (Here is a Zann bill illustrated point by point.)