God's Diplomats

Victor Gaetan is senior international correspondent for the National Catholic Register and a contributor to Foreign Affairs magazine, the Washington Examiner, America, and The American Spectator. He resides in Washington, DC.

[God’s Diplomats is] a mix of impartial description and informed opinion. Not everyone will agree with how different issues are framed, or how different figures are portrayed. But what certainly cannot be argued with is the fact that Gaetan has given a gift not only to foreign policy practitioners, but also to American Catholics. You will not find a book on Church diplomacy as accessible, comprehensive, and faithful, as God’s Diplomats. It is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the Vatican’s diplomatic priorities better — and especially why they don’t always align with America’s.

• Part OneIntroduction: What Does Washington Fear About Pope Francis and Vatican Diplomacy?Chapter 1: An Adaptable Network, Willing to Bleed Chapter 2:Mission Beyond Religion Chapter 3:Education of a Diplomat Chapter 4: Sovereignty is the Ticket to the International SystemChapter 5:Diplomatic Classics, Rules of Thumb, and Modus Operandi Part TwoIntroduction: The Mustard Seed: Jorge Bergoglio as Manager, Missionary, and Mystic Chapter 6: Stifling War in Ukraine; Prioritizing Peace with Russia2013 protests in Ukraine lead to a war that threatens over two decades of relationship building between Rome and Moscow Chapter 7:Mediating Cold War Quarrels: Cuba 2014 marks normalization of relations between the US and Cuba, a landmark agreement brokered by Rome Chapter 8:Diminishing Division: Kenya2015 finds Pope Francis in Kenya where he shares a simple gestureChapter 9:Letting War’s Victims Lead: Colombia2016 clinches a peace deal signed by government and guerillas after over 50 years of fighting; the Catholic Church helps define the agreement’s core concern Chapter 10: Piecing Together the Middle East: Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia2017 brings political crisis in Lebanon that cardinal-patriarch works to untie Chapter 11:Unifying the Religion of the Lord of Heaven: China2018 achieves agreement between Vatican and Beijing on bishop selection Chapter 12: Piercing Hearts: South Sudan 2019 witnesses a pope on his knees kissing the feet of warlords