A senior Vatican representative called for an end to the war in Ukraine following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday. It was the first face-to-face meeting between representatives of the Vatican and Russia in five years.

Reuters reported this on August 25.

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who is responsible for the Vatican’s relations with states and international organizations, said that every day the four-year war between Russia and Ukraine continues “brings new victims … and makes future reconciliation increasingly difficult.”

“That is why it is extremely important and necessary to end the conflict and look beyond it,” Gallagher said, speaking alongside Lavrov at a joint press conference following their meeting.

According to Gallagher, he and Lavrov discussed paths to peace in Ukraine and agreed to cooperate on humanitarian issues, particularly those involving assistance to children affected by the war.

Gallagher, the Vatican’s second-ranking diplomatic representative, last visited Moscow for talks with Lavrov in 2021, before the full-scale war began.

Pope Leo has repeatedly called for an end to the war. In an August 9 address, he expressed regret over the “growing number of civilian casualties, particularly children.”

On Tuesday, Gallagher said that the Vatican would “continue to provide strong spiritual, diplomatic and humanitarian support, facilitating dialogue and providing a platform for it” with the aim of ending the full-scale war, which has now been ongoing for four and a half years.