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Indeed,
from the end of the first century, local Bishops have met
in a group, called Councils, in order to study and resolve
local problems. The Pope was always present at these Councils
through his personal representative called a Legate. This
Legate was also sent to the Emperor of Constantinople.
| With
the creation of the Vatican City State the Pope is independent
from all the world powers and therefore free to exercise
his ministry of assuring the union within the Church and
exercising his moral authority within the international
community. |
A
very clear example of this phenomenon happened in 453. The
Council of Chalcedon had closed its work and Pope Leo the
Great decided that his Legate, Julius of Chios, remain on
the scene in order to help the Bishops put into practice the
decisions of the Council. The Pope also sent two other letters
on this occasion. One was sent to the Bishops telling them
to consider Julius as the Pope present among them. The other
was sent to the Emperor of Constantinople, asking him to consider
Julius as the ear and the voice of the Pope of Rome. This
is the first clear example of the Papal Representative in
possession of two Letters of Credence: one for the local Bishops
and one for the local civil authorities. This practice is
the same today, when the Pope’s Ambassador is accredited to
a country.
I have insisted on these historical references in order to
counter the notion that Pope has diplomatic representations,
because he was a temporal sovereign. No, on the contrary,
the Pope’s Ambassadors represent a spiritual leader in charge
of the Church within the events of history, a mission that
the political community has recognized through the centuries.
In the sixteenth century, we note an evolution in international
relations with the emergence of Nation-States. While before,
diplomats were spies dispersed among the peoples, they began
to become visible informers with their own chanceries and
public activities. In fact, at the time, many States began
to model their diplomatic formalities and modalities on the
diplomatic system of the Republic of Venice. The Popes did
not hesitate to do the same and so during the sixteenth century
we see the appointment of Apostolic Nuncios (the Exact name
of the Pope’s Ambassadors) to Spain, Venice, France, Naples,
Portugal, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and so on. At the
same time, we see the same countries sending Ambassadors to
the Pope residing in Rome.
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