Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, began an official visit to Pakistan on Thursday that runs from October 8 to 10 and marks 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Vatican. The Foreign Office said the visit is the first by a Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations of the Holy See to Pakistan.
He arrived in Islamabad on Thursday and was received by Additional Foreign Secretary (Europe) Ambassador Ayesha Ali, according to the Foreign Office. Archbishop Gallagher is visiting at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. During the visit he is scheduled to meet Dar for talks on matters of mutual interest and is also expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He will also interact with members of Pakistan’s Catholic community during his stay in Islamabad. That meeting follows other recent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif statements on national issues.
Focus of the talks
According to the Foreign Office statement issued ahead of the visit, discussions with Dar are expected to cover interfaith harmony, dialogue and peace, along with regional and international developments. Those themes reflect the purpose of Archbishop Gallagher’s office, which handles the Holy See’s relations with states and international organisations around the world.
The visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Holy See. Pakistan and the Vatican established relations in 1951, and ties since then have centred on dialogue, religious and cultural cooperation and issues of mutual interest, according to the Foreign Office.
Programme in Islamabad
The programme released for the visit includes meetings with political and religious authorities and with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan. A conference marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations forms part of the engagements, reflecting how both sides are presenting the trip as a milestone in a long standing relationship rather than a routine call. On the final day he is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Islamabad and visit the Faisal Mosque to meet religious leaders.
The Foreign Office described the visit as an important milestone that reflects a shared commitment to strengthening mutual understanding, cooperation and trust while promoting interfaith harmony and peace. That language was echoed in the advance reporting of the visit, which placed interfaith harmony and dialogue at the centre of the agenda alongside bilateral relations. The visit began on the same day Pakistan marked National Resilience Day 2026 and 2005 earthquake remembrance.
Why the visit matters
Senior visits of this kind carry weight beyond the meetings themselves. This is the first visit to Pakistan by the holder of this particular Holy See office, and it comes at a moment when Pakistan is presenting interfaith harmony as part of its external engagement. Meetings with both the foreign minister and the prime minister give the visit standing at the highest level of the government.
For Pakistan’s Catholic community, the visit includes direct engagement during the three days, alongside the official programme with state authorities. The combination of state meetings, a bishops’ conference interaction and community contact is typical of Holy See visits, which address both government relations and the local church in the same trip.
The visit concludes on Saturday, October 10. No agreements were announced in the advance statements, and the public agenda presented by both sides focuses on dialogue, peace and the anniversary of relations rather than on new formal commitments. Any readouts issued after the meetings with Dar and the prime minister will show whether specific areas of cooperation were identified during the talks. Readers can follow wider developments in our latest national news from Pakistan.
