THE INFLUENCE OF THE RELIGIOUS FACTOR IN VATICAN DIPLOMACY ON INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/Keywords:
Holy See, Vatican diplomacy, religious factor, soft power, mediation, international relations, neutrality.Abstract
This research thesis analyzes the operational mechanisms of the Holy See’s diplomacy, evaluating how the religious factor functions as a structural element of soft power within the contemporary international system. Distinct from secular states, the Holy See utilizes institutionalized religious authority, strict geopolitical neutrality, and a transnational network of nunciatures to mediate territorial and political disputes. By examining key historical and modern interventions, such as the Beagle Channel dispute, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the normalization of US-Cuba relations, this paper demonstrates that religious ontology provides the Holy See with unique diplomatic access and moral suasion. The findings indicate that while the Holy See lacks military and economic leverage, its capacity to reformulate political disputes into ethical paradigms serves as an effective mechanism for global conflict resolution and international norm-building.
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