The election of Pope Leo LIV, chosen partly by cardinals from the Middle East, may spark fresh attention to the region’s small Catholic community. Numbering around 5.6 million as per 2013 Pew data, they represent just about 1% of Catholics worldwide.
Despite their limited size, nearly every Middle Eastern nation maintains some form of diplomatic ties with the Vatican. Political and diplomatic strategies have encouraged even countries with no Catholic population to establish relations, as reflected in a recent Vatican list.
The historic tensions between the Jewish faith and the Papacy delayed Israel-Vatican normalization until after the 1993 Oslo Accords. Meanwhile, other nations in the region have gradually developed relations over decades. Oman, recognized for its tolerant society, most recently formalized ties in February 2023.
Notably, Saudi Arabia remains the sole Middle Eastern country without official Vatican relations. With Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman leading ambitious religious and social reforms, many wonder if the Kingdom will eventually join the Vatican’s diplomatic network.
Here is the timeline of when Middle Eastern countries established formal relations with the Holy See—reflecting a complex intersection of faith, diplomacy, and politics in a historically charged region.
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