Although the Roman Catholic Church has been territorially established in Canada since the founding of New France in the early 16th century, official relations between Canada and the Holy See were only established during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI in 1969.[1]
In part, this is because the Holy See had lost its territorial sovereignty over the Papal States during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX and that territorial sovereignty over Vatican City State was only established by the Lateran Treaty of 1929. Also, relations with neighbouring Italy were poor during the regime of Benito Mussolini, and they were only re-established after World War II ended in 1945.
Areas of cooperation between Ottawa and Rome have traditionally included education, health care, the struggle against poverty and international diplomacy. Before the establishment of the welfare state, Church involvement was evident in many sectors of Canadian society. Today, Canada's international preoccupations in favor of justice and peace are often in line with those of Rome, which favors dialogue on a global level.
Pope John Paul II was the first pope to visit Canada in 1984 and re-visited Canada in 1987 and 2002.
In April 2022, Pope Francis apologized to the Indigenous people of Canada for the role of the Catholic Church in the Canadian Indian residential school system. He said that he will visit Canada in July 2022.[2] Pope Francis arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on July 24, 2022. On Monday July 25th he visited Maskwacis and according to Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild prayed in a small chapel for children lost in the residential schools. He prayed again in the cemetery containing the graves of children who died in one of the largest residential schools in Canada. Then at a ceremony attended by many Indigenous elders he apologized in the course of the ceremony which was replete with traditional song, dance and ceremony. The Pope was given a traditional headdress by Chief Littlechild. [3]
17th and 18th centuries
After the British conquest of 1759, relations with Rome were temporarily frozen and Jesuits were forbidden from entering the country. However, religious tolerance was quickly re-established under the 1774 Quebec Act, owing to the anti-American sentiment of colonial administrators. Before the 1774 Quebec Act, Lower Canada's remaining bishops began to die as they succumbed to old age, and new bishops and cardinals were blocked from entering by British Administrators. After the last death in 1768, the British colonial governor reversed his decision and began to allow limited numbers of Catholic Administrator to enter, paving the way for the Quebec Act 1774. As a result of the religious freedoms it granted to Catholics, Colonial Americans in the 13 colonies (because of their anti-Catholic stance) labelled it as one of the "Intolerable Acts" an influence to the start of the American Revolution.[4]
19th century
John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, is thought to have had problematic relations with the Church, as it was manifest by the anger of many Catholics against Macdonald during the Louis Riel affair, a conflict which had many sectarian undertones.
In the 19th century, Pope Leo XIII had an apostolic delegation and did send diplomatic envoys to important socio-political events in Canada. Pope Leo took a strong interest in Canadian affairs and wrote the encyclicalAffari Vos on the Manitoba Schools Question.[5]
20th century
Wilfrid Laurier, Canada's first francophone prime minister, had genuinely good relations with Pope Pius X, and during his time as PM the Church went through a relatively prosperous period in terms of vocations and social influence.
Pierre Trudeau, another Quebec Catholic PM, was raised as a strict Catholic, but later cooled to the institution after the publication of Humanae Vitae in 1968. After 1968, Trudeau passed a number of liberal laws on divorce, birth control, adultery, homosexuality and abortion, laws which have profoundly liberalized, modernized and secularized Canadian society.
In practice, abortion was only completely legalized under the government of Conservative Catholic Brian Mulroney, who personally objected to it but could not prevent a 1988 Supreme Court decision removing all previous restrictions to the procedure.[6]
Ciani, Adriano Ercole. "The Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between Canada and the Holy See, 1945-1969 (MA Thesis, University of New Brunswick, 2005)
The Catholic Church in Canada, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, and has a decentralised structure, meaning each diocesan bishop is autonomous but under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. As of 2021, it has the largest number of adherents to a Christian denomination and a religion in Canada, with 29.4% of Canadians being adherents according to the census in 2021. There are 73 dioceses and about 7,000 priests in Canada. On a normal Sunday, between 15 and 25 percent of Canada's Catholics attend Mass.
The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States, sometimes referred to as the Vatican Embassy, is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the United States. It is located at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Embassy Row neighborhood. Since 2016, the papal nuncio has been Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
Holy See–United Kingdom relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom.
The Holy See has long been recognised as a subject of international law and as an active participant in international relations. It is distinct from the city-state of the Vatican City, over which the Holy See has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction".
Holy See–Ireland relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Ireland. The majority of Irish people identify as Roman Catholic, according to census data. However, views on actual church dogma both on social and spiritual matters varies significantly, and weekly mass attendance is below 40%. The Holy See has an Apostolic Nunciature in Dublin.
Foreign relations between Argentina and the Holy See, have existed for over a century. The current pope, Pope Francis, was the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
The Holy See and Mexico have a long-standing contact and foreign relations. Catholicism was introduced in Mexico in 1519 by the Spanish Empire. The majority of Mexicans practice the Catholic faith, however, since the adoption of the current Constitution in 1917, Mexico is a secular nation.
Holy See–Pakistan relations are foreign relations between Pakistan and the Holy See. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1961. The Holy See has a nunciature in Islamabad. Pakistan's embassy in Switzerland is accredited to the Holy See.
India-Holy See relations are the bilateral relations between the India and Holy See, which is sovereign over the Vatican City. Formal bilateral relations between the two exist since 12 June 1948. An Apostolic Delegation existed from 1881. The Holy See has a nunciature in New Delhi while India has accredited its embassy in Vienna, Austria to the Holy See as well. India's Ambassador in Bern has traditionally been accredited to the Holy See. Since 2020, Jaideep Mazumdar, India's ambassador to Austria has been the ambassador to the Holy See. Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli was appointed as the Apostolic Nuncio to India in March 2021.
The Holy See and Indonesia established diplomatic relations on 13 March 1950. Relations are important as part of global interfaith dialogue, because Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim-majority population. Indonesia recognizes Roman Catholicism as one of its six approved religions. The Holy See has a nunciature in Jakarta, while Indonesia has an embassy in Rome.
Holy See–Peru relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Peru.
Holy See–Poland relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland. As of 2015, approximately 92.9 percent of Poles belong to the Catholic Church.
Georgia – Holy See relations are bilateral relations between Georgia and the Holy See. The diplomatic relations between the two were established on May 5, 1992. The Georgian Embassy to the Holy See is located in 25 Via Toscana, Rome. The Apostolic Nunciature is located in 40 Zghenti Street, Tbilisi.
Holy See–Philippines relations refers to the relations between the Holy See and the Philippines. As one of two Catholic-majority countries in Asia, the Philippines enjoys significant relations with the Holy See. The Holy See has a nunciature in Manila, and the Philippines has an embassy to the Holy See based in Rome.
Bulgaria–Holy See relations were formally established in 1990, shortly after the fall of the Bulgarian communist government. Since then, Bulgaria and the Holy See have had an increase in relations, with Pope John Paul II visiting the country in 2002, and more recently visits from Secretary of State Angelo Sodano (2005) and Pietro Parolin (2016).
Holy See–Ivory Coast relations refers to the current relationship between the Holy See and the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, which was established in 1970. A significant amount of Roman Catholics live in Ivory Coast, being nearly one-fifth of the population, and the two states are considered to have a cordial relationship.
The relations between the Holy See and Japan were informally established in 1919, when the Japanese government accepted a request by the Holy See to send an apostolic delegate to their country. It was not until 1942 that Japan began full diplomatic relations between the two states, making Japan the first Asian country to do so, and not until 1958 that the Japanese mission to the Vatican in Rome was upgraded to an embassy. The decision was made by Emperor Showa during World War II, hoping that the Vatican could serve as a mediator for negotiations between Japan and the Allies.
Brazil–Holy See relations are the current and historical relations between Brazil and the Holy See. Catholicism was introduced in Brazil in 1500 by the Portuguese Empire, and it is the country's predominant faith. Brazil also has the world's largest Catholic population. Since the adoption of the Constitution in 1891, Brazil is a secular nation.
Pope Francis visited Canada from July 24 to 29, 2022, with stops in the provinces of Alberta and Quebec and the territory of Nunavut. The trip mainly focused on apologizing for the Catholic Church's role in the Canadian Indian residential school system and on reconciliation with the country's Indigenous peoples. It was the first papal visit to Canada since 2002, when Pope John Paul II visited Toronto for World Youth Day.
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