Notes on material diplomacy and the Holy See
The Vatican, in particular, feels like the right context to raise these questions as a stage where culture and politics meet. It is a context in which diplomacy primarily takes the form of gift exchanges – without wars or the taking and giving of land, there are only the gifts. The value of a gifted object may lie in its material qualities or perhaps in the narrative it carries, where it comes from and its story of creation. These gifts naturally begin to represent many different meanings, whether cultural, symbolic, or religious, and in this way become tools to achieve political, moral, or spiritual influence. In particular, gifts to the Vatican, are ways to write yourself and your story into the authoritative history book that is the archive of the Holy See and a way to appeal to all Christians.
Hundreds of gifts are presented to the Pope daily, from heads of state to visiting pilgrims. The Pope himself has a say in what happens to the objects – he is one of the few diplomatic figures who is allowed to regift or personally keep gifts, whereas other political figures must turn them in. The rest of the gifts are, as far as we know, the responsibility of the Papal Household. The Prefect of the Papal Household decides whether a gift should be considered for the Vatican Museums or Library, or handed over to a department store located in the Vatican train station, which resells diplomatic gifts received by the Pope and uses the proceeds for charity. A historical and material way to measure a gifted object’s value is by its acceptance into the archive, museum, or library of the Vatican. Here the definition of value because important, because a gift the Pope decides to keep might have a completely different value than one that ends up exhibited in the Vatican Museums.
But the life of the gift can continue online and take completely different paths in media. There is the communication before the gift is given, the images of the exchange itself, and the documentation of the gift being made or acquired in its country of origin. All of these circulate and are repurposed for different narratives, where meaning can shift and change over time, far beyond the control of the original donor.
Why through design? This project explores the Vatican’s vast and often overlooked archive of gifts as an alternative method of understanding global dynamics. Objects, such as the flag of Bucha, presented to the Vatican in times of turbulence, serve both as symbolic offerings as well as records of shifting political, moral, spiritual, and economic value systems. Viewed from a design perspective, these gifts mirror the concerns and values of the societies that produced them. They offer a unique material lens through which to analyse global tensions and cultural diplomacy. By treating this collection as a design archive, we aim to reinterpret its content and present it as a narrative tool – an alternative way of reading politics through the material culture of gifting.
What did we set out to do? With this project, we set out to answer a seemingly simple and straightforward question regarding political gifts given and received by the Holy See throughout history.
What is a good gift? What typologies the value do the gifts represent? Quite quickly, we came to realize that to answer this question we need to identify who we are asking as their relationship to the gift changes their answer significantly. Therefore, the first list we made was one of different roles which come into contact with the diplomatic gift within the Vatican and beyond. The ambassador, the curator, the protocol manager, the Pope, the archivist, the media.
Within the walls of the Vatican are the knowledge institutions – the Library, the Museums, the Archives – the Papal Household, and the equally entertaining and intriguing department store. Outside of the Vatican, there are the diplomats or ambassadors, the media, and visitors, such as ourselves. Perhaps due to a series o ffortunate interactions, quite contrary to our expectations, the internal sources were very welcoming and open to our questions and requests to visit. In this way, we were able to set up meetings with the Prefect of the Vatican Library, a curator of the Vatican Museums, and the manager of the department store. Externally, we were supported by two ambassadors representing their countries to the Holy See. For the purpose of this documentation, the individuals we interviewed remain anonymous, since the perspectives they shared were more personal than representative of their positions.
And so, the following entries attempt to give a glimpse into the definition of a good gift and the ways in which value can be measured. These are intentionally scattered, often contradictory definitions, which more than anything, highlight the malleable nature of material diplomacy.
Visit to the Vatican library in February 2026
2026 02 11 Interview with ambassador #1 to the Holy See
What is a good gift to the Holy See? First we need to understand what makes the Holy See different from the rest. The Vatican has no national interests, no economic diplomacy, no foreign citizens to represent, no “abroad” (the church is everywhere). What fills those gaps instead is a general strive for the good of mankind, human rights, peace, reconciliation… In that way, a Vatican diplomat wears two hats – one as a diplomat and one as a religious people. As a result, they tend to be extremely accessible and easy to talk to in comparison to other countries and their representatives, but at the same time, very strict on protocol and rules.
An ambassador to the Holy See meets the Pope twice – once while presenting their Letters of Credence and once at the end of the tenure. There is also the New Year’s reception with the Pope, when an opportunity to share a gift or a message might arise. As in any diplomatic exchange, a good gift would need to be very valuable (in the sense of being expensive or rare) and underlining the bilateral relationship between the two states. In the case of the Vatican, it would preferably also be somehow religious. Perhaps there has been a Pope, born in the country you are representing, maybe there are etchings or publications about them… However, a country in conflict would make use of the publicity surrounding the diplomatic gift as well as attempt to bring up their narrative with the Pope. The Ukrainians, for example, give more than gifts, they give political statements and do it very well. Therefore, a good gift depends on the intentions of the donor. Is it a simple gesture of generosity, appreciation, and dedication or is it a political message?
2026 02 13 Interview with ambassador #2 to the Holy See
What is a good gift to the Holy See? A good gift is an object of high artistic value, made by a strong artist and carrying a strong message. Often though, diplomats reject good proposals for not being “national” enough or make their decision too late for the art piece to be produced in time for the visit to the Vatican.
Or perhaps, what is a successful gift? It is one that ends up in the memory institutions of the Holy See – the Vatican library, archives, or museums. So the process of choosing a successful gift should first and foremost be considering where it will end up. A medal in the Vatican museums, is a successful gift. A book in the Vatican library, written in a prohibited language from a country under occupation, is a successful gift. The value comes from being able to refer to these objects in the near or distant future as evidence of struggle, of existence, of culture, and of ongoing loyalty to the Holy See.
Visit to the Vatican museum in February 2026
2026 02 16 Visit to the Vatican department store
The department store is located in the historic train station of the Vatican state, a rather small Mussolini-style building in between the Vatican gardens and Saint Peter's Basilica. In the mid 20th century the railway was no longer in use and the building was converted into a department store, which today carries everything from luxury jewelry to tea and coffee. This place is only accessible to the employees of the Vatican state (and their guests), and is mostly used to purchase basic goods at a lower tax.
We are taken inside and told that the Pope's gift section started off as a small corner and has now expanded into it's own department. It is close to the entrance, has a lower ceiling than the rest of the space and a mix of different displays, mostly glass and featuring back lights. We're told the items change with the seasons - now, in February, there are a few remaining Nativity scenes from Christmas and a lot of empty spaces for Easter items. The rest of the items on display vary greatly, from packages of olive oil, to Japanese paper fans, to full tea sets and even wooden figure skating boots (we are told they have not found a new owner for at least 3 years). There are small tags in-front of each item, describing the thing itself and stating a "recommended" price. All money goes to charity, this is clarified at the entrance.
A man in a suit presents himself and, in a very friendly and proud disposition, tells us about the structure and function of the Pope's gift corner. Officially, it has been open since June 2025 (our guide tells us a different story, having seen the gift corner for at least 4 years). Since then, they have sold 150 items, with only 6 larger than recommended donations.
The process is simple – when one item is sold, a new item gets added. The Prefecture of the Papal Household selects and provides items to the department store. Most of the time, nobody knows where the gifts come from and only on very rare occasions, the Prefecture provides a document with a bit of information (when it was received, who gave it, etc.). Items are selected for the store according to a few rules - it cannot have any provenance, it cannot be too large to fit into the space, or too expensive. The hardest job is setting the price, we're told, and this responsibility falls on the store.
At the moment, the store faces a bit of a shortage. They only have 1 gift remaining from Pope Benedict XVI, a handful of gifts from Pope Francis, and, as of yet, the Prefecture has not shared any Pope Leo XIV gifts. Pope Benedict's remaining gift is an item without a clear price – they failed to get in contact with the artist and have two very different estimations. For now the gift is on display without a suggested price. As for Pope Francis, the remaining items are either too big or too expensive (for example, a throne with jewels for an estimated price of 7,000EUR). The "best" gifts are small valuables, such as cufflinks, which do not take up space and can be sold for a reasonable price. The man finishes his speech by saying that other gifts simply belong in the museum.
We look around, trying to find something we could bring back as a souvenir, but do not see anything under 100EUR. Perhaps next time, with the new gifts of Pope Leo XIV, we might find something for ourselves.
< text is not complete, but a work in progress >