Faith Diplomacy. Religion as a Tool of Public Diplomacy

The aim of this article is to analyse faith diplomacy as an important tool in the conduct of foreign affairs. We would like to show what tools and methods religious diplomacy uses in building the image of the state. The central argument is that well-conducted faith diplomacy can be helpful in overcoming social tensions and conflicts caused by religious disputes. This research, first, introduces the academic discussion on the interdisciplinary study on faith diplomacy linking it to the concepts of soft power and public diplomacy. Second, we present cases of Switzerland and Poland to illustrate how the approach of faith diplomacy can be useful for the study of religious freedom and human rights in social sciences.