Mamberti takes over from Burke and Gallagher is Vatican’s new “foreign affairs minister”

Vatican Insider
November 8, 2014

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/37392/

Paul Richard Gallagher (centre)

Following Parolin’s appointment a year ago, Francis has made another key change to the structure of the Vatican Secretary of State: the current Secretary for Relations with States, Corsican Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, is being promoted as head of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura: he replaces Cardinal Raymond Burke who in turn is being transferred to the Order of the Knights of Malta. Burke himself confirmed his nomination in an interview given during the recent Synod.

The new Vatican “foreign affairs minister” who succeeds Mamberti is Paul Richard Gallagher, Titular Archbishop of Hodelm (an old Scottish diocese that was closed down), was born in Liverpool on 23 January 1954 and is currently Apostolic Nuncio to Australia. Gallagher was appointed Nuncio in Burundi and consecrated as a Bishop in 2004. From 2009 to the end of 2012 – before he took over his post in Australia – he was Papal Representative in Guatemala.

Gallagher was born in the same neighbourhood where the Beatles kick-started their career. He was a priest in the Diocese of Liverpool in 1977, began by serving as an assistant to the parish priest in the Holy Name Church and was chaplain at Fazakerley hospital. He graduated with a degree in Canon Law and entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1984. Before being appointed Apostolic Nuncio he served the Vatican diplomatic missions in Tanzania, Uruguay, the Philippines and soon the Council of Europe.

As a Nuncio in Burundi, Gallagher succeeded Irish Archbishop Michal Aidan Courtney, a great peace campaigner during the civil war, who was murdered on 29 December 2003. He also survived a bomb explosion in his residence. Nominated by Benedict XVI, to serve first in Guatemala and then in Australia, he presented his letters of credence in Canberra on 30 April 2013.

The Vatican’s new “foreign affairs minister” has a diplomatic experience spanning five continents: most recently in Oceania, previously in Latin America and Africa and before this in Asia and Europe. He worked in the Secretariat of State for five years and so is well-versed in the workings of the Curia. He has also collaborated with the current Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin. Gallagher speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian.

He is said to be a competent prelate who is not part of any clique and has served well in all positions he has been appointed to so far.