A Catholic Approach to Dialogue as a Tool of Diplomacy

Abstract

This article elaborates dialogue as one of the most important tools of faith-based diplomacy from the Catholic perspective, as presented by some post-conciliar popes. In the first part, after presenting the state of the art, some characteristics of dialogue are briefly outlined. Subsequently, its “ideal type” fulfilling some basic preconditions is introduced. The third part sheds some light on the levels of dialogue in public and multilateral diplomacy, explaining the ways dialogue promotion works in diplomacy. The final part presents some outcomes of dialogue in diplomacy and international politics in general. The content analysis applied in the article is based on various statements of the popes delivered in their speeches, addresses, homilies, letters, exhortations, and encyclicals.

Keywords:

• diplomacy
• dialogue
• international relations
• Catholic Church
• Pope Francis

Acknowledgments

This article was supported by the Internal Grant Agency of AMBIS College, Prague.

Notes

1 https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-went-russian-embassy-express-concern-over-war-moscow-envoy-2022-02-25/

2 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-holding-ukrainian-flag-condemns-atrocities-such-massacre-bucha-2022-04-06/

3 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-says-no-agreement-reached-possible-meeting-between-putin-pope-francis-2022-05-04/

4 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-says-ukraine-should-have-courage-white-flag-negotiations-2024-03-09/

5 Throughout this article, the term “Holy See” will be used, referring to the entity that enjoys international recognition and is diplomatically represented in states and international organizations, headed by the Pope, who as the Bishop of Rome is also the head of the Catholic Church. It is noteworthy that the Code of Canon Law interchangeably uses the terms “Apostolic See,” “Holy See,” and “Roman See,” referring “not only to the Roman Pontiff but also to the Secretariat of State, the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church, and other institutes of the Roman Curia” (Can. 361).

6 In this article, I do not aspire to contemplate about the relation between this theoretical current within IR and Catholicism; for more about it, see Troy (2022) and Rozario (2024).

7 Wherever in this article CST is mentioned, the corpus of its documents is referred to, primarily consisting of official papal documents, but also including some documents of the Second Vatican Council and dicasteries of the Holy See, including the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

8 See, e.g., Declaration of the Second Vatican Council on religious freedom Dignitatis Humanae (December 7, 1965), Message of John Paul II on the value and content of freedom of conscience and of religion (November 14, 1980), Message of John Paul II for the celebration of the World Day of Peace “Religious freedom: Condition for peace” (January 1, 1988), Address of John Paul II to the participants in the Congress on secularism and religious freedom marking the thirtieth anniversary of “Dignitatis Humanae” (December 7, 1995), Message of Benedict XVI for the celebration of the World Day of Peace “Religious freedom, the path to peace” (January 1, 2011), or Address of Pope Francis to the participants at the International conference on “religious freedom and the global clash of values” (June 20, 2014).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marián Sekerák

Marián Sekerák is the head of the Department of International Relations and Political Science at AMBIS College and a researcher at the Centre for Higher Education Studies in Prague. He is also a member of the CREATE Expert Group for Catholic Social Teaching, which was established at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He specializes in political theory, the theory of democracy, Church-State relations, the diplomatic activities of the Holy See, and higher education research.