Francis promotes Englishman to high Vatican office

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Paul Gallagher as the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, a post equivalent to that of foreign minister. He will be the first native English speaker to hold the position.

The promotion makes him the most senior British Catholic of the modern era. Archbishop Gallagher, who is fluent in four languages, was promoted from being nuncio to Australia as part of a reshuffle that saw Cardinal Raymond Burke, 66, demoted from his post heading the Vatican’s highest court, the Apostolic Signatura, to become Patron of the Sovereign Order of Malta, a ceremonial post.

Archbishop Gallagher’s predecessor, the French Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, takes over from Cardinal Burke, who has been perceived as criticising Pope Francis’ leadership.

Last week Cardinal Burke likened the Church to “a ship without a rudder”, though he denied that he was making any criticism of Pope Francis. He has, however, expressed grave reservations about the direction Cardinal Walter Kasper is recommending for the Church, in particular Cardinal Kasper’s advocacy of a change to the care of divorced and remarried people who wish to receive Communion – a topic discussed at length at last month’s Synod on the Family.

After months of rumours, and a statement from Cardinal Burke on the transfer, the Vatican on Saturday confirmed that the US cardinal had been moved.

Liverpool-born Archbishop Gallagher, 60, is a seasoned diplomat and has served as a papal envoy in five continents.

Archbishop Gallagher said he was “honoured and humbled” but at the same time “inevitably a little fearful” at taking on such major responsibilities.