Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Central African Republic
Relationship assessment
High-level engagement, including Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to the Central African Republic, has marked the relationship.
Vatican City toward Central African Republic
+25The Holy See has engaged with the Central African Republic through Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to Bangui, which included public calls for peace and reconciliation. The Holy See conducts the Vatican’s diplomatic relations.
Central African Republic toward Vatican City
+20The Central African government received Pope Francis during his 2015 visit to Bangui, enabling a high-level engagement centered on peace and reconciliation. Information about other substantive bilateral initiatives is limited.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has included high-level engagement through the 2015 papal visit and public emphasis on reconciliation. The broader scope and durability of bilateral government cooperation are unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The relationship has included high-level engagement, notably Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to the Central African Republic, where he promoted reconciliation amid conflict. The Holy See conducts the Vatican’s diplomatic relations, while the Central African government received the papal visit. Information about the broader scope and continuity of bilateral government cooperation is limited.
Key developments
Pope Francis visited Bangui, where he called for peace and reconciliation and opened the Holy Door at the cathedral.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of bilateral agreements and government cooperation beyond the 2015 papal visit is unclear.
- The extent to which engagement has continued under subsequent governments is unclear.