America Abroad has a program about Holy Diplomacy. Here’s the introductory text:

The Catholic Church is one of the world’s longest-standing institutions and throughout its history has played a powerful role on the global stage. Yes, there was that whole Crusades thing, but more recently, the Church played a role in the fall of communism and priests today put their lives on the line to resolve conflicts across the globe.

The Vatican enjoys a privileged and unique status as the only religion represented at the United Nations and dozens of other international bodies. At times this ruffles feathers when Church doctrine clashes with secular affairs of state. Still, the Church manages to tend its flock of more than one billion Catholics worldwide, while its legions of clergy and diplomats also carry on the faith’s tradition of ministering to global matters, by promoting development, advocating for religious freedom and building peace.

On this edition of America Abroad, we’ll explore the Church’s enduring role as an international social and political actor.