Archbishop Gallagher recalls Cardinal Merry del Val's example of diplomacy (Vatican News)

In brief

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher praised the diplomatic work of Rafael Merry del Val during a speech in Assisi on September 7. Archbishop Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, cited the example of the Servant of God to highlight how meetings can lead to lasting agreements.

Merry del Val served as the legate for Pope Pius XI in Assisi in 1926 to mark the 700th anniversary of the death of St. Francis. A meeting between Merry del Val and the education minister helped prepare the way for the 1929 Lateran Treaty, which established recognition of the Pope’s sovereignty over Vatican City. Archbishop Gallagher stated that no agreement is created without a willingness to meet and suggested that gestures of reconciliation can eventually result in just and lasting rules.