50° Anniversario delle Relazioni Diplomatiche tra il Regno del Marocco e la Santa Sede

These singular relations, founded on a millenary historical and spiritual heritage, transcend the narrow framework of political interests to align with a shared vision of the world based on coexistence, peace, and human dignity. The Kingdom of Morocco and the Holy See thus work towards an active spirituality and harmonious cooperation, making interreligious dialogue an essential vector for international peace and stability.

In the face of contemporary geopolitical challenges—notably radicalization, identity-based tensions, rearmament, the proliferation of armed conflicts, economic upheavals, migratory crises, and global polarization—the two partners work in concert to establish this alliance as a key player in the promotion of peace and development. This cooperation is part of a diplomacy of values, rooted in dialogue, the promotion of exchange, and a diplomatic practice attentive to the complexities of the international context.

Through their respective institutions—the Commanderie des Croyants in Morocco and the Pontificat de Sa Sainteté—two great Abrahamic traditions promote, respectively, an Islam des Lumières based on human unity, mutual knowledge, and the acceptance of alterity, and a Christianity equally founded on human fraternity and the spirit of Nostra Aetate.

Particularly central to this perspective is the Appel d’Al-Qods (Jerusalem), signed in 2019 by Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI and Pope Francis during his historic papal visit to Morocco. This appeal stands in continuity with major initiatives such as the Déclaration de Marrakech on the rights of religious minorities in Islamic lands, as well as the encyclicals Fratelli Tutti and Laudato Si’. This convergence illustrates the synergy between the diplomacies of the two countries, committed to promoting lasting intercultural and interreligious dialogue and deploying a cultural diplomacy that fosters tolerance, openness, and respect for the other.

From the outset, the Moroccan experience has paid particular attention to religious training and the prevention of extremism, notably through dedicated institutions such as the Institut de Formation des Imams et Mourchidates or the Fondation Mohammed VI pour les Oulémas d’Afrique. Within this framework, the Commanderie des Croyants also constitutes an instrument of soft power, contributing to the stabilization of crisis-hit regions and the promotion of the juste milieu, moderation, and the universal values of peace, dialogue, and humanism.

Facing the transformations of the international system and new global challenges, Morocco and the Vatican are today strengthening their cooperation to translate spiritual principles into tangible diplomatic actions—an innovative soft power capable of supporting active dynamics and concrete solutions to international crises and conflicts.