Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, arrived on Sunday March 10 in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on an official visit marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Jordan and the Holy See.

Upon arrival, he was welcomed at Queen Alia International Airport by Apostolic Nuncio Bishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, officer in charge of the European Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fayez Khoury, Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media Fr. Rif’at Bader, and Fr. Ala’ Ba’ir.

 Archbishop Gallagher is accompanied by Monsignor Marco Formica.

The senior Vatican official will hold a number of meetings with senior officials in the country, meet with heads of Church institutions, and visit some holy sites. He will also participate in the meeting of the Council of Heads of Catholic Churches in the Holy Land, which will be held in Jordan during this period, where the welcome speech will be delivered by President of the Council Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The Apostolic Nunciature in Jordan has extended an invitation to participate in the Holy Mass, which will be celebrated by Bishop Gallagher, with the concelebration of heads of the Catholic Churches in the Holy Land on Monday, March 11, 2024, at 7:00pm at the Our Lady of Nazareth Church in Sweifieh, western Amman.