Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Syria
Relationship assessment
Longstanding diplomatic ties and high-level engagement, alongside Holy See calls for peace during the Syrian conflict
Vatican City toward Syria
+20The Holy See has engaged Syria diplomatically, including through Pope John Paul II’s 2001 visit, and has called for peace and civilian protection during the Syrian conflict.
Syria toward Vatican City
+20Syrian authorities have received high-level Holy See engagement, including Pope John Paul II’s 2001 visit and President Bashar al-Assad’s 2009 meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines longstanding diplomatic ties and high-level contact with the Holy See’s public advocacy for peace and civilian protection during the Syrian conflict. The known engagement supports a modestly cooperative characterization, while the extent of sustained practical cooperation is 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 Syria have maintained diplomatic relations and engaged in high-level contact, including Pope John Paul II’s 2001 visit to Syria and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s 2009 meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. The Holy See has also called for peace and protection of civilians during the Syrian conflict. These contacts indicate a modest cooperative relationship, though the scope of practical bilateral cooperation is unclear.
Key developments
Pope John Paul II visited Syria and met Syrian leaders.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of practical bilateral agreements are unclear.
- The extent of direct cooperation during the Syrian conflict is unclear.