<P>The essays in this book cover a fast-paced 150 years of Vatican diplomacy, starting from the fall of the Papal States in 1870 to the present day. They trace the transformation of the Vatican from a state like any other to an entity uniquely providing spiritual and moral sustenance in world affairs. In particular, the book details the Holy See&rsquo;s use of neutrality as a tool and the principal statecraft in its diplomatic portmanteau. This concept of &ldquo;permanent neutrality,&rdquo; as codified in the Lateran Treaties of 1929, is a central concept adding to the Vatican&#39;s uniqueness and, as a result, the analysis of its policies does not easily fit within standard international relations or foreign policy scholarship. These essays consider in detail the Vatican&rsquo;s history with &ldquo;permanent neutrality&rdquo; and its application in diplomacy toward delicate situations as, for instance, vis a vis Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan, but also in the international relations of the Cold War in debates about nuclear non-proliferation, or outreach toward the third world, including Cuba and Venezuela. The book also considers the ineluctable tension between pastoral teachings and realpolitik, as the church faces a reckoning with its history.</P><P></P>