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Relationship dossier

Vatican City Kenya

Relationship assessment

Bilateral agreement and papal visit mark substantive Holy See–Kenya engagement

Vatican City toward Kenya

+35

The Holy See concluded an agreement with Kenya concerning the legal status of the Catholic Church in the country. Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to Kenya was a further high-level engagement.

Kenya toward Vatican City

+35

Kenya entered into an agreement with the Holy See concerning the legal status of the Catholic Church and hosted Pope Francis during his 2015 visit.

Overall relationship

+30

The relationship includes a bilateral agreement addressing the Catholic Church’s legal status in Kenya and high-level engagement through Pope Francis’s 2015 visit. These features support a cooperative relationship, while the extent of other sustained bilateral cooperation is less clear.

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

Knowledge coverageLimited

Overview

The Holy See and Kenya have maintained substantive engagement, including a bilateral agreement concerning the legal status of the Catholic Church in Kenya and Pope Francis’s 2015 visit. These steps indicate cooperation, though the breadth of government-to-government collaboration beyond them is less clear.

Key developments

Major uncertainties

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