Republic of the Congo–Holy See relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Republic of the Congo and the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. The

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

has considerable influence in the Republic of the Congo as about half of the population identify as

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. Although the two states established relations in February 1963, their cooperation has only started to increase recently, with their first major bilateral agreement being signed in early 2017. The Holy See maintains an apostolic nunciature in Brazzaville, while Congo does not yet have any diplomatic or consular mission to

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

. It is instead represented by its Ambassador to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, who is accredited to several other countries, including the Holy See.Embassy of the Republic of Congo to the Holy See
Easy Diplomacy. Retrieved March 18, 2017 The Vatican's current

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

to Congo is

Francisco Escalante Molina Francisco Escalante Molina (born 29 January 1965) is a Venezuelan archbishop and diplomat of the Holy See. He has been the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti since June 2021. Biography Born in La Grita, Venezuela, on 29 January 1965, Molina was ord ...

, while the Ambassador of the Republic of the Congo to France is Henri Lopès, who was accredited to the Vatican in 2000.

Bilateral agreements

In February 2017, the two states signed an agreement that confirms the status of the

and other Catholic institutions in Congo, as well as the right of the Church to carry out its mission in the country. Cardinal

Pietro Parolin Pietro Parolin OMRI (, ; born 17 January 1955) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since February 2014, he has served as the Vatican's Secretary of State since October 2013 and a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers sin ...

, the Vatican's Secretary of State, and

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Clément Mouamba Clément Mouamba (13 November 1943 – 29 October 2021) was a Congolese politician who was Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo from 2016 until 2021. He previously served as Minister of Finance from 1992 to 1993. Political career Mouamb ...

of Congo were present at the signing of the agreement, as were a number of high-ranking government and religious officials.Holy See signs agreement with Republic of the Congo
Catholic News Agency. Published February 5, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.

Official visits

Cardinal Peitro Parolin visited Brazzaville for the signing of the bilateral agreement, as part of his African tour.Cardinal Parolin in Republic of Congo as part of African tour

Radio Vatican Vatican Radio ( it, Radio Vaticana; la, Statio Radiophonica Vaticana) is the official broadcasting service of Vatican City. Established in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave, ...

. Published February 3, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017

References

External links

Bilateral Relations of the Holy See
on the Vatican official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Republic of the Congo-Holy See relations 1963 in Christianity

Congo, Republic of

Bilateral agreements

Official visits

See also

References

External links