On 30 October 2002, Pope John Paul II nominated Archbishop Celestino Migliore as Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, in New York. We asked him these questions

What role do Catholic non-governmental organisations have at the UN?
Glancing through the list of the Catholic NGOs accredited to the United Nations in New York, it is clear that the great majority of them belong to various types of “advocacy” groups. Some of them advance programs in defense of life, education, development, the advancement and protection of women, environment, and humanitarian issues. Nonetheless, their relationship with the UN is more than the area of adovcacy, but greater sensitivity, providing information and lobbying, which are inspired by the social doctrine of the Church.

How do they support the work of the Holy See?
The diplomacy of the Holy See is sui generis in that it uses only persuasion and not force, and also because its means of persuasion rely uniquely on the moral authority of the Pope and not on any political, economic, financial or military power. In this context, in order to exercise persuasion at all levels, the Holy See needs a very broad network of support and collaboration. Unlike civil governments that quite easily create, finance and, at the end of the process, dismantle their own NGOs once their specific aims have been achieved, within the Catholic Church NGOs often stem from a religious charism or from the response of individuals and groups to the promptings of the Spirit or of those who have responsibilities for the community. That’s why when it comes to Catholic NGOs, their relation with the Holy See is not merely functional, rather, they tend to incarnate different charisms and calls within the Church. In this sense, their mutual relation is based more on the sense of the ecclesial communion than on functionality.

What examples can you think of where Catholic lobbying has been effective?
During my five-year long tenure at the UN, I witnessed an effective information and lobbying on the issues of illicit traffic of armaments in the Democratic Congo and on the violence perpetrated by the guerrilla movement in Uganda. Catholic NGOs have been extremely supportive and cooperative with the UN agencies to trigger a process of reconciliation in Burundi. Other associations have experienced that an effective lobbying on pro-life issues must focus on the national level, because the delegates who come to international meetings already have precise instructions which at that stage is difficult to change or reverse.

 What challenges do Catholic NGOs face?
A very healthy challenge comes from within: if they want to be effective, they have to team together, to show cohesion or, rather, communion and unity on the background of their legitimate pluralism. Because this is our strength: our word is effective only if we are united. A second challenge comes from outside: a growing tendency within the international organizations is to dislike and discard in principle all semblance of a religious connotation. The intolerance does not reside only in certain fundamentalist religious people, but also in those who, not being believers, do not permit society to be a believer.