Pope appoints Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher as special envoy to Lithuania centenary celebration

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Secretariat of State, as his special envoy to the ceremony marking the centenary of the canonical erection of the Lithuanian Ecclesiastical Province.

The celebration is scheduled to take place on 27 June at the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kaunas.

Archbishop Gallagher, who serves in one of the Holy See’s key diplomatic roles, will represent the Pope at the historic event, which commemorates 100 years since the formal establishment of the ecclesiastical province in Lithuania.

The Lithuanian Ecclesiastical Province was canonically erected in 1926, a move that helped consolidate the Church’s structure in Lithuania after periods of political upheaval. This formal establishment strengthened the local Church’s identity and organisation.

At the head of the province is the Archdiocese of Kaunas, which serves as the metropolitan see. The metropolitan archbishop provides leadership and coordination, though each diocese remains governed by its own bishop.