By Antonella Palermo
At Rome’s Religions and Diplomacy conference on Sep 29, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, highlighted religious communities’ ability to speak to consciences and ease tensions between peoples, while warning against turning faith into a banner of division.
Organized by Carità Politica as it marks its thirtieth anniversary, the three-day gathering at Palazzo San Calisto concludes on 30 September.
The association presented a document committing it to cultural exchanges and joint action to revive dialogue and bring peoples closer together, and plans to convene religious leaders in the coming months to put these commitments into practice.
According to the appeal, this is a time to give fresh impetus to Europe, so that the religious tradition that inspired the continent’s culture and life may continue to be part of its soul. It contains clear echoes of the messages delivered by Pope Leo XIV, particularly in Metz, during his recently concluded Apostolic Journey to France.
Tuesday’s afternoon session was capped by an address from Archbishop Gallagher. His starting point was that, in a multipolar world, religious influence has not receded but has shifted.
This phenomenon should not be regarded—as it often is—as a problem, particularly one of public order or security, but should instead be acknowledged in a spirit of realism.
Religious affiliation must not be reduced to a banner
“It is from this perspective, and not one of containment, that I believe relations between religions and diplomacy should be approached,” the Vatican diplomat emphasized.
He recalled commemorations of the anniversary of the attacks of Sep 11 2001, saying it would be impossible to remain silent about the shadows cast by an act committed through a distortion of religion. At the same time, however, “it would be a mistake to draw from it a judgement on religions as such.”
Religious affiliation must not be reduced to “a banner that distinguishes us from them,” Archbishop Gallagher said. “There can never be an absolute identification between ethnicity or a people, on the one hand, and religious affiliation, on the other. Whenever this identification is preached, religion ceases to be an answer to the question of meaning and becomes a tally of those on one side.”
According to the Archbishop, “the antidote is not the weakening of identities, but their maturity: we can truly engage in dialogue only when we know who we are, firm in our convictions and at the same time open to understanding those of others.”
Religious freedom, a barometer of a society’s freedom
Religious communities are bearers of “moral forces,” of a good that benefits society as a whole, Archbishop Gallagher insisted. These are resources, he explained, that diplomacy would do well to draw upon to ease tensions, prevent radicalization and promote a culture of mutual esteem.
On the further condition, he added, that they remain free, not “enlisted in the service of a power”; otherwise, they become an instrument. “Freedom of religion or belief is the litmus test of respect for all other human rights, because it is both their synthesis and their keystone.”
Violations of this right rely on treating religion as an exclusively private matter, when it is not. For this reason, the public profession of faith must be guaranteed, also because “religious freedom is not a privilege of believers.”
Archbishop Gallagher continued: “Whoever defends another person’s religious freedom, whatever that person’s faith, is in fact also defending their own; and a society that ceases to recognize that limit does not become more neutral: it simply becomes less free.”
Valuing religious communities’ contribution to peace
Archbishop Gallagher also reflected on the Holy See’s diplomatic activity, founded on persuasion that helps create the conditions in which peace becomes possible.
This work is supported by an extensive network that ceaselessly defends and promotes human dignity in all its dimensions. This in itself helps prevent violence, “because it means removing many of its causes.”
As for religious communities, the Archbishop added, their contribution to peace has yet to be fully appreciated. Although they are not subjects of international law, do not sit at negotiating tables and do not sign treaties, they have the ability to speak to consciences—something immensely valuable.
At a time when the international order is undergoing one of its most severe tests since the post-war period, Archbishop Gallagher observed with regret, a fundamental task is to clarify the meaning each person gives to their words.
This is the first step towards what the Pope describes as a condition for every true encounter. With this foundation, and a good measure of humility and courage, misunderstandings can be avoided and authentic peace among nations more readily pursued.
Disarming language
Language was precisely the focus of the address by Cardinal Baldo Reina, the Pope’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.
“Disarming certainly means laying down weapons, but first and foremost freeing international relations from the conviction that force is the ultimate and decisive measure of relations between peoples,” the Cardinal said. “It meansrestoring to words, negotiation and international institutions the capacity to prevent the irreparable.”
Religions bear an immense responsibility in this regard, given their capacity to generate fraternity. It is therefore essential to disarm language, to “remove the name of God from the logic of war” and to “reject every attempt to confer religious legitimacy on hatred.”
Negotiation is not a form of weakness
“Religious discourse,” the Cardinal continued, “when it remains faithful to its source, reminds us that no people is absolute, no nation can turn into an idol, and no identity can assert itself by denying the other.”
Cardinal Reina reflected on Rome’s universal vocation, which “must be embodied in the streets, parishes, schools, social initiatives and the welcome offered to others.” He placed particular emphasis on the peripheries, these “last outposts of closeness”, where religions often play a valuable role.
“This too is diplomacy: patiently building bonds where the social fabric risks being torn apart,” he emphasized. Negotiation is an exercise in responsibility, “not a form of weakness,” he explained, and conversion to peace requires “distinguishing mediation from moral equidistance.”
Rome should remain a laboratory of coexistence
At a time when force once again seems to claim primacy over law, there is a need to safeguard spaces of possibility, the Vicar concluded, where differences can be transformed from dividing lines into opportunities for mutual understanding.
In this sense, “Rome itself must continue to learn: from the world, from sister Churches, from other religious traditions, from peoples, migrants, the poor and all who continue to call for peace and justice.”
To give concrete meaning to the word peace, the Cardinal expressed the hope that Rome would use its central role to create a space of hospitality, continuing to be a productive laboratory and a lively workshop where people can learn “the art of peaceful coexistence, of dialogue that is possible, and of justice that promotes the dignity of every human person.”
It is possible to learn from Rome, according to Professor Carlo Torti, Director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Gemelli Polyclinic Foundation.
He outlined the university’s Africa project, through which it supports 40 countries across the continent in close collaboration with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For “health knows no borders,” he said, adding that the fundamental challenge is to “build bonds and create community.”
Tangible evidence of this urgent need for cooperation also came from the reflections of Angola’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Carlos Alberto Saraiva De Carvalho Fonseca, who recalled Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey to the country and the many beneficial fruits and positive developments it had set in motion.
Türkiye’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Fahrettin Altun, spoke of the importance of seeing religions as a resource for promoting human dignity, rather than a legacy of the past to be readily discarded.
“Human dignity comes before our political identities. Diplomacy is the art of recognizing the existence of the other. Only sincere dialogue can ensure harmonious coexistence,” he said.
Brian Francis Burch, United States Ambassador to the Holy See, reaffirmed the role of democracy which, nourished by the values of faith, provides the ground on which good relations between States can be built. – Vatican News
