“The Vatican diplomacy" is not the "expression of the State of the Vatican City" but the "expression of the Holy See as the supreme authority of the Catholic Church”; in other words, it is "the Pope’s diplomacy". With this preliminary specification, mgr. Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for relations between the Holy See and the States, opened last night at “Circolo di Roma" his “conversation" about the Vatican diplomacy. From the "ecclesial nature" of such diplomacy, he said "comes the priestly or episcopal character of the apostolic nuncios”, whose role is “to make the bonds of unity between the Apostolic See and the particular Churches ever stronger and effective” and “exercise a legation to the accrediting States, by promoting relations with the state authorities and dealing with any issue concerning the relations between the Church and the State”. Such matters as "political allegiances, military facilities, trade and financial relations, tourist promotion” "do not fall within the diplomacy of the Holy See", highlighted mgr. Lajolo, as he stressed that today 174 countries have full diplomatic relations with the Vatican, plus the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The Russian Federation and the Organisation for the Liberation of Palestine are also represented by special missions. “Priority is given by the Papal representatives to the status of the Catholic Church”, “in particular, its legal status under the state’s regime” recalled mgr. Lajolo, as he mentioned “pactional activity, i.e. concordats and other agreements between the Church and the State”.
