The Church is becoming truly globalised – while Britain turns inward

With his new cardinals, Pope Francis wants a global Church focused on the world’s problems. So is Britain, once an international power, missing a trick?

Tomorrow, Pope Francis will formally appoint cardinals from across the world including Thailand, Tonga, Myanmar and Panama.

To the outsider it might seem like an impressive display of Catholic ceremony with lots of churchmen dressed in red.

That would be a very superficial reading, however.

First, giving the red hat to bishops representing every corner of the globe is an important expression of the universal Church. Second, in an increasingly globalised world, the Holy See is seeking to cement its historic position as an important diplomatic listening post, exercising soft power. President Barack Obama’s citing of Pope Francis’ role in warming relations between the United States and Cuba is just one example of this.

Among the new cardinals is Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi from Tonga, who appears to have brought most of the island with him to Rome. The King, Queen and President are in town along with many other Tongans. Most of them are Methodists, not Catholics, because Tonga is a former British colony.

Then there are other parts of the old empire represented – Archbishop Charles Bo of Myanmar is receiving a red hat along with Archbishop John Dew from New Zealand.

For many of these countries, having one of their bishops named a cardinal is an important event. In Tonga there are plans to live-stream tomorrow’s ceremony and, according to Bishop Mafi, lots of pigs will be killed and eaten as part of the traditional celebrations.

Tonga and the Pacific are important places for Francis to have good relations with in light of his forthcoming encyclical on the environment - they are front-line witnesses to the impact of climate change. Just eight days ago the Pope received the President of Kiribati, a collection of small islands in the central Pacific Ocean.

The British Government also cares about climate change, but does it care about the role of the Holy See in global politics and global diplomacy in general? Or does it want to forget the age of empire and turn inwards?

Impressive numbers of Tongan dignitaries have travelled for two days to witness their bishop receive a red hat but when Cardinal Vincent Nichols received his last year, the Government could only send a junior minister, Baroness (Tina) Stowell on a two-and-a-half hour flight. Eric Pickles, the communities secretary, had been due to go to Rome, but pulled out to co-ordinate the Government’s response to floods that year. Compare 2014 with 2007, when the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, was in Rome to witness the then Archbishop of Armagh, Sean Brady, receive his red hat.

Britain seems to be becoming increasingly insular when it comes to the world stage. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, is not a frequent foreign traveller and the Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, seems more interested in reforming the European Union.

It would be unfair to say that the British Government is not interested in the Holy See. It has an excellent ambassador in Nigel Baker, who consistently makes a strong case for the work that Britain and the Vatican can do together. While the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have not visited the Vatican, the Queen has, as have a number of government ministers. Some understand the importance of the Holy See; some don’t. The Foreign Office is also, slowly, seeing the importance of religion in diplomacy, and offers training courses to new diplomats on the subject.

Most world experts will tell you that you can’t understand the world without understanding religious faith. Tomorrow an exceptionally diverse group of people, with deep knowledge of their respective countries, will be made cardinals. Britain would do well to pay more attention.

Christopher Lamb is Assistant Editor (Home News) of The Tablet

Above: Four of the prelates to receive the red hat: John Dew of Wellington, New Zealand; Berhaneyesus Souraphiel of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Manuel Macario do Nascimento Clement e of Lisbon, Portugal; and French Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Vatican's Apostolic Signatura. Photo: CNS