The Vatican’s Secretary of State was chief celebrant at a Mass in Rome today to mark forty years of full diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin was joined by the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and the former Archbishop Armagh, Cardinal Seán Brady, for the Mass at the Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Without the Walls. The celebration was organised by the UK’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Christopher Trott.
Mr Trott said that bilateral cooperation was “ever more important in this interconnected world” and essential “to promote peace, defend human rights, tackle global problems like climate change, modern slavery, and all forms of trafficking”.
In remarks after the Mass, he recalled the long history of diplomatic relations, which were formally broken in 1558, and the eventual appointment of Sir Mark Heath as a full ambassador to the Holy See on 29 March 1982.
He quoted St John Paul II’s words on the significance of that occasion: “It serves as a sign of the understanding and good will which characterise our diplomatic ties, and it affords a basis for expecting still closer collaboration in the future.”
St Paul’s was a particular appropriate location for the Mass as it is “the Papal Basilica that above all others celebrates ecumenism and the relationships across the Christian faith”. It was historically linked to the English court, and Henry VIII was an honorary canon of the basilica before the break with Rome.
Speaking earlier in the week, Ambassador Trott emphasised the role of religion in diplomacy.
“I think it is important for those states whose outlook is more secular to recognise that while we might make our judgments in a secular way, there are a lot of states and a lot of people that make their decisions based on their faith,” he told Vatican Radio.
He said that he looked forward to the forthcoming move of the embassy and residence to a location closer to the Vatican, “which will make us more accessible to our friends and hopefully raise our profile in this part of Rome”.
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