Conference of His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See
By Gvantsa Turmanidze
Thursday, October 25
The Conference of his Excellency, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher was held on October 23, 2018, in Tbilisi at Ivane Javakhishvili State University. The theme of the Conference was “The diplomacy of the Holy See and its commitment to the peace and dignity of the human person, with particular attention to the Caucasus region”.
In his speech, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher talked about the commitment of papal diplomacy to promote peace and human dignity, with particular attention to the Caucasus region - the countries emerging from communism, and thus to the new post-Soviet political order.
Archbishop recalled that the Holy See recognized the independence of Georgia from the beginning, having been among the first ten States to open a representation in Tbilisi. On May 24, 1992, the official newspaper of the Holy See simultaneously published the news of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova. Here he mentioned the announcement: “The Holy See and the Republic of Georgia, wishing to develop amicably their mutual relations, have decided to establish diplomatic relations, at the level of Apostolic Nunciature by the Holy See and of an Embassy by the Republic of Georgia”. Nevertheless, “the relationship between the Church of Rome and Georgia dates back to ancient times, which certainly should not be reduced only to the last three decades of its rediscovered political freedom”, underlined Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
Archbishop expressed his wish to extend the cordial greetings of Pope Francis, who visited Georgia in 2016, calling it a “blessed land, a place of encounter and vital exchange among cultures and civilizations, which… discovered in Christianity its deepest identity and the solid foundation of its values”. He conveyed his respect towards Georgia, a country, which even in the midst of many adversities, preserved those values expressed by its culture, language and traditions, and as Pope Francis pointed out in one of his speeches in Tbilisi, who places our “country fully and in a particular way within the bedrock of European civilization”.
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher noted that the political and religious relations between our countries have lasted for centuries and, even if interrupted several times by historical events when Georgia sadly lost its sovereignty, were always renewed with the grateful memory of the long-lasting fraternity based on common Christian roots.
Archbishop recalled the highlights of the mutual relations between the Holy See and Georgia, such as two Apostolic Visits of the Popes St. John Paul II in 1999 and Francis in 2016; the official visits to the Vatican by Presidents of the Republic and then an official visit of Archbishop Dominique Mamberti to Georgia in September 2014. He mentioned the existing cultural cooperation remembering the theatrical staging of the play “The Jeweller’s Shop” by St. John Paul II, performed in the Georgian language at the State Theatre of Tbilisi still in the 90s and numerous of other initiatives, such as projects for scholarships for Georgian students; the activities carried out by the Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University in Tbilisi, founded on the initiative of Bishop Pasotto; the numerous conferences, receptions and exhibitions, organized in Rome with great commitment by the Ambassadors of Georgia to the Holy See: first, by Her Highness Princess Khetevane Bagration de Moukhrani - Orsini, and currently Her Excellency Dr. Tamara Grdzelidze, who is also promoter of the interesting volume Rome and the Georgians, released in Rome last year, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, which traces the centuries-long history of relations between Rome and Georgia, noted Archbishop.
Archbishop made an emphasis on the fact that since many years the local Catholic community has put itself at the service of the Georgian people in significant ways with joined efforts concerned with the sick, the children, the elderly, the refugees, the immigrants and all the needy, without discrimination of nationality or religious affiliation, thus realizing the true mission of the Catholic Church directed to the good of every human person.
Finally, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher addressed the audience with the words of the Holy Father, Pope Francis focusing on the theme of peace: “Peace is a gift, a challenge and a commitment. It is a gift because it flows from the very heart of God. It is a challenge because it is a good that can never be taken for granted and must constantly be achieved. It is a commitment because it demands passionate effort on the part of all people of goodwill to seek and build it. For true peace can only come about on the basis of a vision of human beings capable of promoting an integral development respectful of their transcendent dignity.”
During his speech, Archbishop also shared his hope for the future of the mutual relationship between our countries, which should grow in strength and flourish with ever greater vigor, for the benefit of Georgia and of the Holy See.
