The Cross and the Flag

What is papal diplomacy and what role does it play on the larger geopolitical stage? Why does it matter what popes say to a global audience? "As John Tanyi points out, papal diplomacy has followed a trajectory all its own over the years. In today's globalized world, the Holy See stands out as an important communicator with a widely respected moral voice. It is often said that 'When the Pope speaks, the world listens.' What sets the diplomatic voices of the Holy Father and his envoys apart from all others is that they speak and act for the good of humanity--not just for the sovereign entity they represent, and not just for Catholics. As a former foreign minister of the Holy See, Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, once described the mission of papal diplomats: 'Our duty is to promote and defend not only the freedom and rights of Catholic communities around the world, but also to promote certain principles without which there is no civilization.'"

The particular example of Pope John Paul II is a groundbreaking example of the critical nature of ecclesiastical diplomacy and why popes as diplomats are playing at a greater level than other statesmen. As George Weigel notes, popes must combat all the problems of the world, but also importantly what he calls the 'tyranny of the possible'--that is, in all things compromise and complacency will play a part. It is the position occupied by one man, the heir of St. Peter, to know when to defy the entirety of global politics (and sometimes what seems like common sense) to say 'yes' and 'no' definitively in light of unchanging truths.