Adaptation of the Public Diplomacy of the Vatican Under Francis the First

Abstract

Over the centuries the Vatican has used a variety of diplomatic mechanisms to promote its political interests. In modern times, the Vatican has made extensive use of the tools of public diplomacy, their employment under Francis I having reached a qualitatively new level. After the enthronement of Francis I, a process of reformation of the institutions of the Holy See started addressing numerous problems the Roman Catholic Church had faced by the end of Benedict XVI’s pontificate. The transformation had a significant impact on the field of public diplomacy, resulting in the expansion of the instruments, and the improvement in old methods. The author examines the adaptation of Vatican public diplomacy to the current realities in the context of the contemporary theological framework designed by Francis I, and outlines the characteristics and the institutions of the Vatican’s public diplomacy activities.