In a recent blog, I noted after a visit to Northern Ireland the importance for British ambassadors abroad of understanding the country they represent.
I spent last weekend in Edinburgh, at the kind invitation of the Scottish Catholic Bishops Conference. My programme included: meetings with the Catholic Bishops of Scotland, including Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien; a reception in honour of my opposite number in London, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Mennini, with a wide range of representatives of different Scottish institutions including the Scottish Government; and a service in St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral to which were also invited representatives of other denominations (including the Moderator of the Free Churches and the former Anglican Bishop of Edinburgh).
We discussed a wide range of issues:
- The growth of the Polish community in Scotland, and their specific pastoral requirements reflecting their strong, Church-going tradition.
- The Scottish relationship with the Holy See, and that of the Bishops Conference with the other Catholic hierarchies in England and Wales, and in Ireland.
- The role of SCIAF, the Scottish Catholic NGO that engages in development aid from within the global Caritas Internationalis network.
- The importance of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and how the media perception of that visit changed from the moment he touched down to a warm Scottish welcome.
- And the fact that Celtic lost 3-2 to Rangers over the weekend!
I am delighted that Cardinal O’Brien and Archbishop Mario Conti will be joining the Embassy on 30 March for our Colloquium celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1982, and the visit that year of Pope John Paul II.
They will join other speakers from Wales and England, and from the diplomatic and the academic world, in exploring the legacy of 1982 for the relationship between Britain and the Holy See today.
What is clear is that without a Scottish dimension, our discussions would not be complete.