Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Libya
Relationship assessment
Diplomatic engagement includes a 2017 meeting between Pope Francis and Libya’s prime minister
Vatican City toward Libya
+15Pope Francis met Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in 2017 and discussed Libya’s political situation and reconciliation, demonstrating direct diplomatic engagement by the Holy See.
Libya toward Vatican City
+10Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj met Pope Francis in 2017 and discussed Libya’s political situation and reconciliation, demonstrating direct diplomatic engagement with the Holy See.
Overall relationship
Not assessedHow 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 Holy See has engaged Libyan leaders diplomatically, including Pope Francis’s 2017 meeting with Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, which addressed Libya’s political situation and reconciliation. The meeting reflects practical diplomatic engagement, but the scope and continuity of broader bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
Pope Francis met Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and discussed Libya’s political situation and reconciliation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and continuity of bilateral diplomatic cooperation are unclear.
- Details of Libyan government cooperation with the Holy See beyond high-level engagement are limited.