On September 21, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and Head of Delegation to the General Debate of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, gave a statement at the High-level Meeting on the Syrian crisis organization by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.

In his address, Archbishop Gallagher, on behalf of Pope Francis, praised and thanked all those who are working for a political solution and to care for the victims of the Syrian conflict. He said that a credible, mutually agreed, intra-Syrian political solution supported by the international community is essential to a durable peace and insisted on humanitarian workers’ having rapid, safe and unhindered access to care for the millions of people deprived of essential goods and services. He noted that in 2016-7, the Holy See and the Catholic Church have provided $200 million of humanitarian assistance to more than 4.6 million Syrians, regardless of ethnic or religious identity, and called for increased funding for refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. He also called for the protection of the rights of all Syrians on the basis of the principle of citizenship.

His statement can be found here.