Fr. Raymond J. de Souza: Ortega’s Intense Persecution of the Church Calls Into Question the Vatican’s ‘Gallagher Protocol’

An Epidemic of False Witness, by Phil Lawler
August 25, 2022
Demos Indict Trump for Clinton’s Crimes, by Mark Alexander
August 25, 2022

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, signs U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's guestbook before their meeting at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 26, 2017. (photo: State Department Photo / Public Domain)

COMMENTARY: This diplomatic policy means that Catholics under persecution by repressive regimes such as Nicaragua, China and Venezuela should not expect rhetorical support from the Vatican.

By Father Raymond J. de Souza, EWTN News, August 24, 2022

In response to the persecution of the Church in Nicaragua, the Holy See is strictly observing the Gallagher Protocol.

But the Gallagher Protocol is not being observed elsewhere, not even in Italy. As cardinals from around the world head to Rome this week, will Archbishop Gallagher himself be able to persuade them to stifle their protests over a brother bishop taken away by Daniel Ortega’s regime?

In June 2021, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States — often called the Vatican’s “foreign minister” — explained why the Holy See was silent on the fierce persecution of the Church in Hong Kong. …