Vatican Ambassador-Apostolic Nuncio Visits AUK

This Fall, His Excellency Archbishop Petar Rajic, Vatican Ambassador-Apostolic Nuncio in Kuwait, visited the American University of Kuwait (AUK) to give a talk to students registered in Special Topics: Vatican Diplomacy, a course offered by the Department of International Relations about the Holy See and the role it plays in the region. This marks the second consecutive year in which the Archbishop visited AUK to speak of the history of the Holy See and the strong bond it shares with Kuwait and other countries in the Arabian Peninsula.

Archbishop Rajic began his talk by offering an overview of the Holy See, the universal government of the Catholic Church, as an active participant in international diplomacy. Rajic explained that his mission in Kuwait serves 2 purposes; to serve as the Pope's emissary to the State of Kuwait, and to attend to the pastoral care of the Catholic community in the country. As an ambassador to the Vatican, he also spoke of the relationship between the Holy See and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, explaining that, in October 1968, Kuwait became the first country in the Gulf with whom the Holy See established diplomatic relations.

Associate Professor George Emile Irani, the instructor of the Special Topics course, explained that the purpose of the course is to explore and analyze the diplomacy and role played by the Holy See; an influential actor in international relations. "Archbishop Rajic's talk shed the light on the mission and goals of the Holy See and his role with both the government and the Catholic Church in Kuwait. Students who attended the talk had the opportunity to engage with the Archbishop following his talk, which they found very useful and pertinent to the term papers they are planning to work on," Dr. Irani said.

AUK shares an excellent relationship with Archbishop Rajic and the Holy See. The Archbishop has visited AUK on numerous occasions and has given lectures and participated in forums organized by the Department of International Relations.

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 13th November 2014