The quiet diplomacy of Pope Benedict XVI: uncredited papal achievements

Abstract

Few scholars or journalists have highlighted Pope Benedict XVI’s accomplishments in international diplomacy, 2005-2013, for at least three reasons: his predecessor’s overwhelming list of global achievement overshadowed the German pope’s record; a misleading caricature of Josef Ratzinger portrayed him as an introverted theologian disengaged from worldly matters; and even some curial colleagues assumed Benedict did not prioritize international relations as seen, for example, in his failure to visit any Asian country. However, every pope is necessarily a diplomat as sovereign of the world’s smallest state with 1.4 billion citizens-members of the Catholic Church. In fact, under Pope Benedict’s leadership, meaningful gains were made in improving ecumenical relations with the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and the Russian Orthodox Church; strengthening ties with Shia leaders in Iran; and advancing bilateral relations with Vietnam, China, and Russia. Exploring these cases offers greater insight into the functionality of papal diplomacy.