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Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Part of UK in Holy See

27th November 2013

The Holy See as a global (soft) power

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Pope Francis greets faithful at General Audience, St Peter’s Square

From time to time, I continue to receive queries from well-meaning people asking why we have an embassy to the Holy See. It’s not a nation state, they suggest. So what can our interests be?

I would hope that regular readers of this blog or our twitter feed have a pretty good idea by now of what we do and why. My recent note about co-operation with other embassies to the Holy See mentions some of the big ticket foreign policy items on which we are engaged. I think that two events this week also help provide the answer to that question.

First, the visit of President Putin to the Holy See. This was a meeting of, according to Forbes magazine, two of the top four most powerful people in the world. On the agenda were key issues of the day: Syria and the Middle East, the role of governments in economic development and the protection of human rights, the relations between faiths, the role of the family in today’s society. It was not just polite chit-chat. Pope Francis has had genuine impact on global debates on these issues in the short time since he was elected.

Secondly, the publication of the Apostolic exhortation, written by Pope Francis, entitled “Evangelii Gaudium” or “The Joy of the Gospel”. It is directed at the faithful of the Catholic Church (remember, all 1.2 billion of them). But it is also relevant to governments. While dealing in large part with specific aspects of Church teaching, across its 288 paragraphs it covers Pope Francis’ response to many of the challenges facing world leaders today, from economic systems to inequality, dialogue between faiths and freedom of religion and expression. I think it is fair to ask the question: how many world leaders are prepared to address the principal global issues facing mankind in such a comprehensive and bold manner?

Yes, the Holy See is not a standard power. It is not a nation state. Yet its global impact is extensive, its voice respected, and its influence real. If we did not have an embassy to the Holy See, I would want to know the reason why.

About Nigel Baker

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as…

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy in Havana, Cuba (2003-6) and then as British Ambassador in La Paz, Bolivia (2007-11). In July 2016, Nigel finished his posting, and is currently back in London.

As the first British Ambassador to the Holy See ever to have a blog, Nigel provided a regular window on what the Embassy and the Ambassador does. The blogs covered a wide range of issues, from Royal and Ministerial visits to Diplomacy and Faith, freedom of religion, human trafficking and climate change.

More on Nigel’s career

Nigel was based in London between 1998 and 2003. He spent two years on European Union issues (for the UK 1998 EU Presidency and on European Security and Defence questions), before crossing St James’s Park to work for three years as The Assistant Private Secretary to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. At St James’s Palace, Nigel worked on international issues, including the management of The Prince of Wales’s overseas visits and tours, on the Commonwealth, interfaith issues, the arts and international development.

Nigel spent much of the early part of his FCO career in Central Europe, after an initial stint as Desk Officer for the Maghreb countries in the Near East and North Africa department (1990-91). Between 1992 and 1996, Nigel served in the British embassies in Prague and Bratislava, the latter being created in 1993 after the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia into the separate Czech and Slovak Republics.

Nigel joined the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) in September 1989. Between 1996 and 1998 he took a two year academic sabbatical to research and write about themes in 18th century European history, being based in Verona but also researching in Cambridge, Paris and Naples. The research followed from Nigel’s time as a student at Cambridge (1985-88) where he read history and was awarded a First Class Honours degree, followed by his MA in 1992.

Before joining the Foreign Office, Nigel worked briefly for the Conservative Research Department in London at the time of the 1989 European election campaign.

Nigel married Alexandra (Sasha) in 1997. They have one son, Benjamin, born in Bolivia in September 2008.

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