2. The International Status of the Holy See
2.4. The Mission and Interests of the Holy See
國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
25 founding of this small piece of territory. Thus, it has a legitimacy to be present on
the international stage. Through the Holy See, the Catholic Church is the only religious denomination in the world to have access to international relations and to be concerned with international law.
2.4. The Mission and Interests of the Holy See 2.4.1. A Diplomacy at the Service of Peace
The interests of the Holy See are very different to those of other states. It doesn’t seek for commercial relations or economic and financial trades. It doesn’t have military forces nor border disputes. The Holy See is the only Organization which can authoritatively entrust its diplomatic agents with a mission which, being at once religious, political and social is entirely dedicated to peacemaking at the principal levels of human activity.54 The mission of the Holy See is the pursuit of universal peace, based on justice and charity as the prerequisites of international harmony, order and cooperation. The peace message is the heart of the Gospel message. The Church finds the roots of its peacemaking in the teachings of the Gospel: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”.55 Peace is not just a general condition of non-belligerence, of cohabitation and of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States; it is a great political edifice which, as Popes have emphasized in innumerable statements, rests on the pillars of truth, justice, freedom and solidarity. Peace is a great but fragile edifice, and it requires constant care and attention. In each of the Pope’s annual messages for the World Day of Peace on 1 January, vital aspects for the protection of peace are indicated; simply by perusing the list of topics chosen as titles for the individual
54Cardinale, I. (1976). The Holy See and the International Order, p. 39
55Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Mt 5, 9
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
26 World Peace Day messages from 1968 until today, one can grasp more specifically
the areas in which the Holy See’s diplomatic activity is conducted.56 Peace is clearly a leitmotiv for the pontifical diplomacy. It has the ideal to solve the problems among nations in a peaceful manner and thus by refusing war as a solution. The pontifical diplomacy has been many times efficient in negotiation in international conflicts. The Holy See mediated conflicts among rival temporal powers. Thanks to its subtle influence, the Holy See succeeded in avoiding world crisis, war or at least delay it in some instances. In other times, the involvement in international mediation and arbitration of the Holy See resolved disputes among world powers before the disputes became hostile.
2.4.2. A Diplomacy at the Service of Religious Freedom
As a representative of the Catholic Church, the Holy See acts first in the interests of the universal Church that is represented in the particular and local Churches in different parts of the world. It is concerned about its Catholics all around the world and their religious freedom. Pope, Pius XII, declared to the journalists of the Foreign Press Association in Rome, May 12, 1953:
The Holy See is the supreme authority of the Catholic Church and hence of a religious society whose goals are to be found in the supernatural and in the world beyond. Nevertheless, the Church lives in this world. Each of her sons and daughters, 400 million Catholics57, belongs to a particular State and people. It is always one of the essential tasks of the Holy See to see that, throughout the entire world, normal and if possible, friendly relations may reign between Church and State; this so that Catholics may live their faith in
56Card. Lajolo, G. (May, 10, 2007). Lecture at Sophia University, Tokyo. Retrieved December 17, 2011 from
http://www.vaticanstate.va/EN/State_and_Government/Structure_Governorate/Presidency/Emeritus_
President/2007/10_May_2007.htm
57According to the Census of the 2012 Annuario Pontificio,Libreria editrice Vaticana (Pontifical Yearbook), the number of Roman Catholics of the world is about 1.196 billion at the end of 2010.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
27 tranquility and peace and that the Church may at the same time, provide for
the State that solid support which it constitutes wherever it is allowed to carry on its work.
Consequently political events have their repercussions also on the Church and on the Holy See, but only indirectly in the measure in which, ?other? in a sudden and radical way, they alter the situation of the Church in a country.
Yet the Church does not wish to be and is not a political power using political means for political ends. It is a religious and moral power, whose competence extends as far as the bounds of the religious and moral sphere, and this in turn includes the activity of free responsible man, both as an individual and as a member of society”.58
The aim of the Holy See’s diplomacy is not only the Libertas Ecclesiae (the freedom of the Church) but also the benefit of the whole human race. The Holy See represents the Catholic Church in the very meaning of the etymology of the term Catholic59, which means “universal” in Greek. It doesn’t seek for its own interests but is also concerned for the promotion of human dignity, justice, freedom, common good, true good of man, love and truth for every human being. The Holy See is the bearer of a message of peace for all of humanity and seeks for the freedom of every believer. By its diplomacy, the Catholic Church wants to increase the protection of the rights of every human being. For the Holy See, these rights are grounded and shaped by the transcendent nature of the person, which permit men and women to pursue their journey of faith and their search for God in this world.
2.4.3. A Diplomacy at the Service of Humankind
The Supreme government of the Church does not seek any personal advantage in its relationship with an individual State, but rather the spiritual good of the people
58 Allocution of May 12, 1953, Discorsi e Radiomessagi di Sua Santità Pio XII, Tipographia Poliglotta Vaticana, 1955, Vol. VX, pp. 141-142
59 From the Greek adjective καθολικός (katholikos) which means“universal”
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
28 themselves whose temporal welfare is principally the concern of political leaders.
The mission of the Holy See is to promote the true welfare of the peoples and nations, to contribute in the moral elevation of humankind and to the reign of peace in the world. In 1963, Pope John XXIII, in his encyclical letter,60Pacem in terris, defends the order that should prevail among men and the fundamental human rights:
Any well-regulated and productive association of men in society demands the acceptance of one fundamental principle: that each individual man is truly a person. He is a nature, that is, nature that is endowed with intelligence and free will. As such he has rights and duties, which together flow as a direct consequence from his nature. These rights and duties are universal and inviolable, and therefore altogether inalienable”.61
The Holy See has a very different form of relationship with secular states than they have with each other; it does not recognize the validity of war as an instrument of national policy; and it defines its secular enemies and allies on the basis of power in the spiritual domain. Although ecclesiastical diplomacy was able to shape and influence secular diplomacy in the Middle Ages, in the modern age this has been much less the case, since ecclesiastical and secular diplomacy are now much more deliberately compartmentalized.62Cardinal Casaroli underlined the important spiritual and moral mission of the Church in 1989 in a Disarmament Conference:
He who has the honor of addressing you today, and who is most grateful that
60 APapal encyclical is a letter, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine, sent by the Pope and addressed either to the Catholic bishops of a particular area or, more normally, to the bishops of the world; however, the form of the address can vary widely, and often designates a wider audience.
Papal encyclicals usually take the form of a Papal brief due to their more personal nature as opposed to the formal Papal bull. Papal encyclicals are so famous that the term encyclical is used almost exclusively for those sent out by the Pope.
61 Pope John XXIII. (1963). Encyclical letter, Pacem in Terris, §9
62Kent, P., & Pollard, J. (1994).A diplomacy unlike any other: Papal diplomacy in the niteteenth and twentieth centuries. In P. Kent, J. Pollard, P. Kent, & J. Pollard (Eds.), Papal diplomacy in the modern age Westport, CT, USA: Praegers Publishers, p. 11
‧
the opportunity of doing so has been offered to him represents before you apower (if it is even possible to use such a term) which has no army at all. Its arms are exclusively of moral and spiritual nature, far removed therefore from those with which your Conference is concerned”.63
The Holy See represents a moral power active in every part of the world that aims to offer a global project to the world on the spiritual and moral levels. Through soft power64, as described by Joseph S. Nye, the Holy See desires to conduct its spiritual mission and to lead society to higher values of freedom, of human rights and of peace which is a supreme good for humanity. Its actions take place on the plane of consciences by persuasion. The Holy See proceeds through different channels such as public opinion channels, diplomatic channels, or by the presence of its representatives at the assemblies held by the International Organizations.
Technically, the diplomacy of the Vatican is carried out through bilateral diplomacy65 and through multilateral diplomacy.66