As head of the Vatican state, the pope has counted on a
diplomatic network dating as far back as the 11th century.
It’s a unique
and often powerful tool that’s even had the CIA come calling in the
past, says historian Agostino Paravincini.
The election of the 266th pope will certainly be influenced by the
scandals that have affected the church in recent years, be it cases of
paedophilia involving priests or murky financial dealings.
But
the church has proven itself resilient in the past and resisted the
challenges thrown at it by history, thanks notably to the influence of
its diplomats, says Paravincini, a former professor at the University of
Lausanne and a papal specialist.
swissinfo.ch: Since when has there been a Vatican diplomacy?
Agostino Paravincini: It began in the 11th century, when the modern
papacy began to see the light of day. It was then that the function of
papal legate was created, leading in the 16th century to the further
creation of nuncios as ambassadors.
At that time, the Vatican
was a major arbiter, a superpower with a widespread and efficient
diplomatic network. During the Middle Ages, that network was more
wide-ranging than that of Europe’s kings and emperors. The pope’s
messengers were very efficient and could cover up to 70 kilometres per
day.
From the 15th and 16 centuries, the Italian nobility, the
Republic of Venice, and the major kingdoms all developed their own
diplomatic network. But for many years, no state had a network that
could compare with the Vatican’s. And at the time, whoever was best
informed had much better cards to play than his adversaries or allies.
swissinfo.ch: What was the impact of facism and Nazism on the Vatican diplomacy?
A.P.: At the time, the Vatican was at the centre of major diplomatic
negotiations. If Pius XI was extremely critical of the Nazis, his
successor Pius XII, who notably served as papal nuncio in Germany after
the First World War and was also the Vatican’s secretary of state, chose
to remain silent, a decision that remains controversial to this day.
swissinfo.ch: And during the Cold War, did the Vatican’s diplomats play a role?
A.P.: It was one of the high points of the Vatican diplomacy. They
elaborated extremely complex strategies to save what could be saved when
countering an extremely hostile Soviet regime. These strategies even
moved up a gear when a Polish pope, John Paul II, was elected [in 1978]
and became involved. It has been said that the head of the CIA was a
regular visitor to the Vatican at the time.
swissinfo.ch: The Vatican’s diplomats have focused on societal issues in recent years. Will that continue to be the case?
A.P.: For the past two decades, they have been trying to make their
voices heard in the global debate about the issues facing today’s
society. This policy will continue to expand, especially if the new pope
is not European. The church wants to have its say on societal issues.
But the pope will also have to deal with the problems the Vatican and
the Church are facing.
swissinfo.ch: How close are the ties between Switzerland and the Vatican?
A.P.: The relations have been complicated for a long time.
Nation-states and the Vatican were at loggerheads in the 19th century,
and Switzerland’s own civil war [in 1847] saw Catholic cantons taking on
Protestant ones. Since then, the Swiss authorities have always sought
to guarantee confessional peace by not giving too much importance to a
theocratic state such as the Vatican. But at the same time, there were
always lines of communication, especially during the Second World War.
As head of the Vatican state, the pope has counted on a
diplomatic network dating as far back as the 11th century.