Pope Francis sent President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and the Filipino people his greetings, the Vatican's foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher said when he paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive in Malacañang on Tuesday.

Gallagher said the Pope, who visited the country in 2015, appreciated the Filipinos for their amazing work and contribution to the Catholic Church not only in the Philippines, but around the world “bringing that faith with them, whenever they’re working.” 

“The Holy Father is sending you his greetings, Your Excellency. As most attached to the Filipino people, to the church in the Philippines,” Gallagher told Marcos.

The archbishop, the Vatican Secretary for Relations and States and International Organizations, is on a five-day visit to the Philippines.

The Vatican official was accompanied by Archbishop Charles J. Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Monsignor Giuseppe Trentadue, Counsellor of the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila and Monsignor Giuseppe Siviero, Secretariat of the State of the Holy See.

The Archbishop also met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo before he paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive.

“I’m delighted it’s been possible to make this visit. It’s long overdue, in fact. But hopefully contacts will be renewed and continued,” Gallagher said. “It’ a very, very thriving relationship, I think.”

Marcos welcomed Gallagher, saying, "It’s a great pleasure to welcome you here in Manila."

During the meeting, Marcos conveyed his good wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis and highlighted the vibrant diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the Holy See. 

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil, Marcos and Archbishop Gallagher did not discuss the divorce bill pending in the Senate, SOGIE bill, and same sex marriage during their meeting. 

The diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Vatican span 73 years after it was established on April 8, 1951. 

Citing the Vatican News, the PCO said that Gallagher is set to visit Malaybalay, Bukidnon to participate in the Plenary Session of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on July 3. 

The Archbishop will also celebrate Mass with the bishops in the Abbey of the Transfiguration in Malaybalay on July 4. 

He will also deliver an address at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on July 5. 

The PCO said that Filipinos in the Vatican are composed of clergies, religious workers, lay professionals and domestic workers. 

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who was appointed as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on June 5, 2022, is one of the Filipinos working in the Vatican. —NB, GMA Integrated News