Recovering and Renewing a Catholic Approach to IR

Less obviously, though no less importantly, it is a guide to the state of Catholic international relations (IR) theory and practice, as seen from Glendon’s vantage point as professor of comparative law, head of the Holy See’s delegation to the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, held in Beijing, member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS), and US Ambassador to the Holy See, among other experiences. Read in this light, In the Court of Three Popes reveals the Church’s failure to prioritize the renewal of Catholic IR theory, as well as its declining credibility as a moral witness on global issues; at the same time, Glendon highlights the riches of the Catholic tradition and potential for renewal in the realm of international affairs.