The roles of the Holy See and papal diplomacy vis-à-vis international organizations have a long and intricate story that spans centuries. Papal Diplomacy and the Quest for Peace explores the encounter between the Holy See and the international order, from the establishment of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 through the pontificate of Pope Paul VI (1963-78). Both Araujo and Lucal have worked for and represented the Holy See in the environment of the UN and, to a lesser extent, other international organizations.
Consequently, their investigation is based on not only academic study of papal diplomacy and its relations with international organizations, but also participation in the activities of the Holy See within some of these organizations. They contend that while the Church and international organizations have distinctive goals and interests which can introduce strong differences on particular issues, they nonetheless share other perspectives such as the maintenance of international peace and security. The Holy See has expressed general approval of the UN, especially its initiatives aimed at "peaceful coexistence and collaboration between nations." At the same time the Holy See has not hesitated to state its morally grounded positions on pressing contemporary issues (e.g., family planning, abortion, human embryonic cloning, and family life) that have not always been congruent with those of temporal sovereigns and international organizations, including the UN. To date, Pope Pius XII's initial aspiration to join the UN has not been fulfilled, but the Holy See formalized its participation in the General Assembly of the United Nations in summer of 2004. In spite of occasional criticism by some segments of secular society, the interaction between the Holy See and the UN continues to exist and to be fruitful in a variety of contexts.
Papal Diplomacy and the Quest for Peace seeks to elucidate this encounter and dynamic by examining congruence and divergence on vital issues of great importance to both institutions, most especially the quest for peace and the protection of the dignity and legitimate interests of humanity.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Robert John Araujo, S.J., is the inaugural holder of John Courtney Murray, S.J., University Professorship at Loyola University of Chicago. A graduate of Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law School, Oxford University, and Columbia University School of Law, Fr. Araujo served as an officer in the U.S. military and was a U.S. government and corporate attorney before entering the Society of Jesus in 1986. He was a member of the law faculty at Gonzaga University from 1994-2005, becoming the Robert Bellarmine, S.J., University Professor in American and Public International Law. Subsequently, he was Ordinary Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University (2005-2008), and has also been a visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center, St. Louis University School of Law, and Boston College School of Law. In 2000-2001 he was the Stein Fellow at Fordham University Law School.Fr. Araujo is the author numerous law review articles on topics that include jurisprudence, public international law, Constitutional law, and Catholic legal theory. He has co-authored a series of books on papal diplomacy and international organizations with the late John A. Lucal, S.J. In addition, he has contributed chapters to a number of volumes addressing topics in jurisprudence and pubic international law.
The late John A. Lucal, S.J., served in the U.S. Army and graduated from Georgetown University before entering the Society of Jesus in 1951. He was assistant editor of America from 1963 to 1967, and later served as advisor to the Vatican mission at the UN, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches Vatican Justice and Peace Commission (1976-80), and Counselor to the Director General for Socio-Religious Affairs.
