Vatican diplomacy at home and abroad

Vatican diplomacy is conducted by three principal means: through a diplomatic corps, an independent micro-state and reciprocal “state visits”.

The pope's diplomats work quietly worldwide, for the map shows that almost all the nations on the planet have diplomatic relations with the Holy See (179 with nunciatures, 9 with delegations). And not just with individual states: the Holy See also has relations with the European Union and other international organisations, about 20 of them, in all.

The Church itself plays host to representatives from all these countries in the diplomatic “beehive”of the Vatican State. It also receives visiting heads of state and for those who wish to avoid the scrutiny of the press in their own countries, there is even a Vatican “Treaty Room” where they can discreetly sign a concordat (as did the Presidents of Portugal and Brazil).

And whenever the Church wishes to put public pressure on a government, either to refrain from passing liberal legislation or to conclude a concordat, there's a good chance that a papal “state visit” will be arranged. Increasingly these are embedded in “World Youth Days”.

Dedicated Vatican diplomats

Like many other popes before him, John XXIII had earlier served as nuncio or Vatican ambassador. During World War II he had worked with Marshal Pétain's war-time regime to erode French separation of church and state. His quiet and effective efforts were modelled on the discreet St. Joseph. [1] Like the Saint, the papal nuncio (ambassador) should be “always obedient and silent...always self-effaced and remain in the shadow”.

To know how to obey, to know how to be quiet, to speak when necessary, with measured words and with reserve, that is the role of the diplomat of the Holy See, and it is also that of Saint Joseph. [2]

Vatican diplomats need this intense dedication, as there are rarely more than two of them in each mission. They also have a double workload, since they must not only represent the Holy See to the local government but also keep a vigilant eye on national churches. “We are priests,” says one veteran. “We have no family. We work 24 hours a day if necessary. It's the key to understanding why we are so few, and so efficient.” [3]

Currently, the Holy See has diplomatic relations with [176] countries, with resident ambassadors — or nuncios — in 110 nations. All individuals who become nuncios are automatically promoted to the rank of archbishop. Diplomats for the Holy See are selected from priests undertaking studies at Vatican universities in Rome, or they are chosen upon recommendation from their bishops. [...] Unlike some diplomats from other countries, those from the Vatican don't have the luxury of choosing where they want to be posted to. [4] 

Their postings are longer than those of other diplomats, so that they get to know the country very well. Eugenio Pacelli (the later Pius XII) spent twelve years in Germany (1917-1929) before becoming Vatican Secretary of State and negotiating concordats with Austria and Germany.

Even when they leave active service the skill and experience of these envoys can help the Church. Retired Vatican diplomats have recently been given a new role — as trouble-shooters. After a number foreign policy blunders at the beginning of Benedict XVI's reign, he has now installed several former Vatican diplomats in key positions, including the retired Vatican “foreign minister”, Cardinal Tauran. [5]
 

Diplomatic buzz in the Vatican City

Much international information gathering and power brokering is carried on within the walls of the Vatican itself. Thanks to its status as a country it can offer foreign diplomats the chance to make their own quiet contacts — under its supervision.

•  In 1848 the American senator Edward Hannegan called Vatican City “the emporium of intelligence in Europe”.
• In the 1970s Henry Cabot Lodge, Special Presidential Envoy to the Vatican, asked a Muslim diplomat at the Holy See why his government thought it was worthwhile to maintain such a big mission at “a place which did not seem to concern him very much.” The diplomat replied, “We don’t want to miss anything.”
• In 2001 James Nicholson, US Ambassador to the Holy See, called it “a beehive of ideas, information, conspiracies, collaboration and diplomatic manoeuvres”. 
  

New moves to limit access

After the Protestant Reformation Britain cut ties with the Vatican until 1914. Three years later Foreign Office issued a memorandum saying that Britain's representative at the Vatican “should not be filled with unreasoning awe of the Pope,” and the post was filled by a non-Catholic until 2005. [6]

Under the Benedict XVI the Vatican has been limiting access to this diplomatic hub and permitting only those foreign diplomats who also have allegiance to the Church. Even liberal Catholics are not tolerated. And there is sometimes a further reason for rejecting nominated ambassadors and delivering a diplomatic snub. According to an official of that Vatican department, “the Secretary of State privileges the relationship with nations with which it has concordats.” [7]

It may come as no surprise, then, that Argentina, which in 2005 cancelled a concordat, had trouble getting an ambassador accredited by the Vatican. In February 2008 the Argentine Government named a Catholic who had been divorced and then remarried as ambassador to the Holy See. The Vatican, citing this, refused to accept his diplomatic credentials. [8]

France, too, which cancelled its concordat back in 1905, also ran into difficulties. It took the better part of a year and three tries before in September 2008 France managed to get an ambassador accepted. Although all were practising Catholics, the first candidate was divorced and the second was gay and living in a civil partnership. [9]

As a reader remarked in the comments section for this story,

Is the ambassador supposed to represent France to the Vatican, or the Vatican to France? France should say, this is who we pick as our representative, if you don't like it, we end diplomatic relations.  

Now comes news that the Vatican has decided to reprimand the president of the United States by rejecting all three of his proposed ambassadors. See “Vatican vetoes Barack Obama's nominees for US ambassador”, 14 April 2009. 

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For the Church version see “Vatican Diplomacy” (Vatican Information Service, 11 April 1997).

For a shrewd analysis by a sophisticated insider (said to have been made a Knight of Malta), see Avro Manhattan on Vatican diplomacy (The Vatican in World Politics, 1949).

 

Notes

1. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, [then Nuncio, later Pope John XXIII], "Spiritual Testament", December, 1947, p. 3, (last sentence).

2. Roncalli quoted in Dom Antoine Marie osb, Letter of 15 August 2000, Abbey of Saint-Joseph de Clairval, 21150 Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, France. 

3.  "God's ambassadors", The Economist, 19 July 2007.

4. Brian Adeba, "Vatican Diplomat Called to Duty in Iraq", Embassy ("Canada's Foreign Policy Newsweekly"), 18 July 2007. http://www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2007/july/18/diplomaticcircles/

5. "Italian diplomat to become new head of Vatican's social communications office", 28 June 2007.
http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2007/06/italian-diplomat-to-become-new-head-of.html
"Pope appoints diplomats to key roles in Vatican after policy slip-ups", 29 June 2007.
http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2007/06/pope-appoints-diplomats-to-key-roles-in.html

6. Martin O'Brien, "Blair lifted Catholic ban for 'Our Man In The Vatican'", BBC, 15 February 2010.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8514142.stm

7. "Why Kmiec will not become the new Vatican Ambassador", Catholic News Agency, 25 November 2008.  http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14437

8. John L Allen Jr, "Vatican nixes Argentina's ambassador on grounds of divorce", National Catholic Reporter, 31 January 2008. http://ncronline.org/node/11574

9. Francis X. Rocca, "Vatican rejects France's new gay ambassador", National Catholic Reporter, 2 October 2008. http://ncronline.org/node/2074

 

(Last updated 15 April 2010)