Since the start of his pontificate Pope Francis has called for a "culture of encounter" that bridges differences through a gradual process of dialogue and mutual recognition. Efforts to imagine and promote a culture of encounter on the global agenda face considerable hurdles. Intensified U.S.-China competition and the Russian war on Ukraine mark a transition to a less stable international system. In this working paper, Thomas Banchoff proposes that advancing a culture of encounter on a global scale will require diplomacy that recognizes political and ideological diversity and creatively navigates constraints posed by shifting power imbalances, historical legacies of colonialism and war, and domestic political opposition.