Relationship dossier
Vatican City
São Tomé and Príncipe
Relationship assessment
A bilateral agreement provides a framework for church-state cooperation.
Vatican City toward São Tomé and Príncipe
+25The Holy See concluded an agreement with São Tomé and Príncipe addressing the Catholic Church’s legal status and related matters.
São Tomé and Príncipe toward Vatican City
+25São Tomé and Príncipe concluded an agreement with the Holy See addressing the Catholic Church’s legal status and related matters.
Overall relationship
+25The bilateral agreement on the Catholic Church’s legal status is a substantive basis for cooperation. The scope of wider government-to-government engagement and the agreement’s implementation 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 Holy See and São Tomé and Príncipe have a bilateral agreement governing the Catholic Church’s legal status and related matters. This provides a concrete framework for cooperation, though the breadth and implementation of other government-to-government cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
The Holy See and São Tomé and Príncipe concluded an agreement concerning the Catholic Church’s legal status and related matters.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the bilateral agreement are unclear.
- The extent of cooperation beyond the agreement is uncertain.