| Sumario: | The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the various diplomatic agreements between the Holy See and four Islamic states (Kazakhstan, Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco, and Egypt) concluded during the pontificate of John Paul II as instruments for giving legal form to the pontiff's magisterial teaching on religious freedom. It also determines how much of John Paul II's teaching on religious freedom has been implemented and if the juridic status of Catholics in these states has improved with the conclusion of these agreements. This dissertation is divided into three chapters. The first chapter identifies four key elements of John Paul II's teaching on religious liberty which shaped the Holy See's diplomacy, shows how the pope developed from these four theological principles twelve specific benchmarks for success in promoting religious freedom, and identifies and examines the four core strategies that the Holy See has utilized to advance religious freedom, particularly in Islamic majority states. The second chapter examines the organization and functions of the diplomatic activity of the Holy See, including the activity of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (Pastor bonus 159-162), and the instruments available for realizing the ecclesial vision of religious freedom in the Church's external public law. The third chapter discusses how the teachings of the Church as articulated by John Paul II have been given form within his pontificate in the diplomatic agreements with all four Islamic states under consideration. It examines each of these agreements and the corresponding diplomatic initiatives to determine whether John Paul II met his own theologically-derived standards in promoting religious freedom through these diplomatic initiatives in these four Islamic-majority states
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