Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Zimbabwe
Relationship assessment
Diplomatic engagement marked by Pope John Paul II’s 1988 visit to Zimbabwe
Vatican City toward Zimbabwe
+20The Holy See conducted a papal visit to Zimbabwe in 1988, a concrete instance of diplomatic engagement with the country.
Zimbabwe toward Vatican City
+15Zimbabwe hosted Pope John Paul II during his 1988 visit, demonstrating government cooperation with the Holy See.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship includes diplomatic engagement and the substantial cooperative event of a papal visit. The extent of broader bilateral 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 Zimbabwe maintain diplomatic engagement, including Pope John Paul II’s visit to Zimbabwe in 1988. The visit reflects bilateral cooperation, although the scope and durability of other government-level cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
Pope John Paul II visited Zimbabwe.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of bilateral agreements and ongoing government cooperation is unclear.
- The extent of Zimbabwean government engagement with the Holy See beyond the 1988 papal visit is unclear.