As part of his visit to Azerbaijan, Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States and International Organizations, attended a ceremony for blessing of the ground and laying of the foundation stone of the new church dedicated to Saint John Paul II in Baku on Saturday.

Vladimír Fekete, Apostolic Prefect of Azerbaijan, Marek Solczyński, Apostolic Nuncio to Azerbaijan, Ilgar Mukhtarov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Holy See, Soltan Mamedov, Head of the International Relations Department of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Ramin Mammadov, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations of Azerbaijan, and other dignitaries also participated in the ceremony.

Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher got acquainted with the project of the church.

On May 1, 2024, the Baku City Executive Authority issued an order to allocate 0.17 hectares of land for the construction of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan.