Theology by the Slice: "The Church, the Vatican, the Holy See at the UN"

Last week (11/12) we had the honor of hearing a talk by Fr. Robert John Araujo, S.J. Fr. Araujo is the John Courtney Murray, S.J. Professor Emeritus at Loyola University Chicago. To list just a few of his accomplishments: he earned his J.S.D. from Columbia Law School and his B.C.L. from Oxford University, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1986. He was a legal advisor to the Standard Oil Company, and has worked in private law practice. He has been an advisor to the Holy See on public and international law issues since 1997, and he has represented the Holy See on various committees at the United Nations, including the Preparatory Committee for the International Criminal Court and the International Convention on Human Cloning. He is an Ad Hoc Advisor to the Secretariat of State in the Vatican City State, and contributes to the blog Mirror of Justice, which is devoted to the development of Catholic legal theory.

Fr. Araujo delivered a presentation to us on the history of the Church’s (and the Vatican’s and the Holy See’s) involvement in international affairs, and especially the Holy See’s role in the United Nations.

He began by telling us that this talk was prompted, in part, by an op-ed in the Boston Globe by one James Carroll, wherein he called for the abolition of the Vatican City State. In offering some fraternal correction to Mr. Carroll, Fr. Araujo would like him (and us) to recall these words form scripture: “Go therefore and make disciples of all Nations” (Matt. 28:19) and “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all of creation” (Mark 16:15).

Father next defined some of the terms that relate to the Church and international affairs. The Holy See is the proper person involved in diplomacy, and it consists of the Pope, the Roman Curia, and any delegates it sends to international bodies. The Church, on the other hand, is the entire People of God in the hierarchical Church, and the Vatican City State is a small country established by the Lateran Treaty of 1929.

Although the Vatican has only been recently established as a city-state, the Holy See is not new to diplomacy. As far back as the pontificates of St. Leo the Great (440-461) and St. Gregory the Great (590-604) the Holy See sent envoys to the Roman Imperial Government. In fact, these Church-state relations constitute the oldest diplomatic corps in the world. When the Papal States were established, delegates were still sent out who represented the Holy See to sovereign European powers. And even after the Italian Risorgimento, when Italy was unified and the Papal States were dissolved, the Holy See was active in diplomacy. Often (but not always), the See served as an impartial arbiter in international disputes, and gave voice to a higher moral order and the Natural Law.

The Holy See has also been a strong proponent of modern international organizations. Pope Benedict XV was an avid supporter of founding the League of Nations, where nations could amicably work to resolve international disputes (in fact, it’s possible that US President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points were based on Benedict’s 1917 exhortation to the belligerents of World War I). Pope Benedict wanted the Holy See to join the league, and most nations didn’t oppose its entry. Italy, however, stood against it because of the 1915 Treaty of London, in which they agreed to prevent the Holy See’s involvement in the war. Nonetheless, Benedict was still active in international affairs, especially in providing relief efforts after the war.

During and after the Second World War, Pope Pius XII felt the need for an international organization where nations could work out disagreements and pursue common interests (and he had long supported the role of Natural Law in international governance). He favored the Holy See entering the United Nations, and he worked with American diplomat Myron Taylor to make it happen. US Secretary of State Cordell Hull, however, opposed the entry of “micro-states” into the UN, because he thought they were too small to fulfill their obligations. Still, the Holy See was able to send observers to the San Francisco Conference, which laid the foundations for the UN. By 1956, it sent had become a charter member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, because Pius XII was persuaded that the Holy See was needed to provide a moral voice on this important commission. This signaled the beginning of the Holy See’s role of giving voice to the moral order at the UN.

Although Pope St. John XXIII gave cautious support to the role of the UN, even more progress was made by Pope Bl. Paul VI. Pope Paul developed a personal friendship with U Thant, Secretary General of the UN. The Holy See earned Permanent Observer status in the UN in 1964, and Thant convinced Paul to give an address to the General Assembly in 1965.

Pope St. John Paul II praised the UN as a place of diplomacy and peace. John Paul advanced the cause of human rights and the Holy See’s sovereignty and in 1995 spoke to the General Assembly on the rights of nations. Pope Benedict XVI addressed the UN in 2008 and (in Fr. Araujo’s opinion) worked to promote how Catholic thought contributed to the development of law and human relations. Discussions are currently in progress about Pope Francis addressing the General Assembly.

In the fall of 2002, Switzerland (which had been a Permanent Observer like the Holy See) was becoming a full member of the UN. Afterward, the question arose as to whether there was anything in international law preventing the Holy See from becoming a full member as well. Fr. Araujo wrote a paper outlining the pros and cons of becoming a full member, and he ultimately found that there were no impediments. It was thus the Holy See’s call to choose whether to become a full member or remain an observer. They chose to remain an observer, thinking it the best way to remain neutral and not appear to have a stake in the outcomes of difficult negotiations.

Yet, it was necessary to define the precise terms of the Holy See’s status as a Permanent Observer. Fr. Araujo wrote and the Holy See submitted a proposal to Secretary General and the Permanent Five of the Security Council. Some minor changes were made, and on July 1, 2003 the proposal was approved without a vote (essentially, unanimously) by the General Assembly.

The document, Participation of the Holy See in the Work of the United Nations, was the first formal document that gave the Holy See official recognition of its role as a State Permanent Observer. The document stipulates that, if the Holy See is a member of a treaty or convention, or a proposed treaty or convention, it participates as a full member of the UN and has an alphabetical seat on the main floor. When acting as an Observer, the Holy See maintains good relations with the other delegations that are beneficial to the UN’s goals.

The Holy See still serves an important role in the UN. When acting as an Observer, its delegates can serve as a conduit between other delegates who are forbidden by their governments from speaking to each other. The Holy See has also served as a moral voice against evil in the UN, such as proposals that some States wanted to introduce in the Treaty on Human Cloning. Always the holy See approaches these controversial issues with arguments that are accessible to human reason and appeal to the objective intelligence of all.

Ultimately, the Holy See pursues the common good of every person with good will. This pursuit of the good is its role in the international body, and with help from others of good will, it can achieve it.

We sincerely thank Fr. Araujo for his illuminating and informative presentation. It was an honor to have such a distinguished person speak to us, and one who has worked hard for the Church and the common good of all.