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Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Part of UK in Holy See

14th May 2015

Ecumenists and Diplomats

The Archbishop of Canterbury meets Birmingham Faith Leaders' Group (February 2015). Photo: credit: Richard Shepherd
The Archbishop of Canterbury meets Birmingham Faith Leaders' Group (February 2015). Photo: credit: Richard Shepherd
The Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, meets Birmingham Faith Leaders’ Group (February 2015). Credit: Richard Shepherd

Amongst the Vasari frescoes In the Sala Regia in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican is a series to make ecumenists blanche. It depicts the planning and implementation of the St Bartholomew’s Eve Massacre – the massacre in Paris on 23-24 August 1572, ordered by the King of France, of thousands of French Huguenot Protestants. In addition to commissioning the frescoes in celebration, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a Te Deum sung and had a medal struck with the motto Ugonottorum strages 1572 (Latin for “Slaughter of the Huguenots”), which showed an angel bearing a cross and sword standing over the bodies of French Protestants.

That was 1572. As well as a crime, the act was a political disaster. Fortunately, we have come a long way since. Speaking to the Holy See diplomatic corps in January this year, Pope Francis said that: “Religious fundamentalism, even before it eliminates human beings by perpetrating horrendous killings, eliminates God himself”. Just this month, he has received delegates from the Anglican – Roman Catholic International Commission conducting the next round of their ongoing discussions over Anglican-Catholic unity and understanding; from the joint commission of the Council of European churches (Orthodox, Anglican and Reformed church delegates) and the Catholic Council of the Conference of European Bishops; and representatives of Protestant Evangelical churches. All are involved in tireless rounds of ecumenical dialogue and encounter, focused not on what divides but what unites.

In my view, ecumenists are rather like diplomats. Their work can often be rather thankless, highlighted only when things go wrong. At the same time, if they do their job well, they act as bridge-builders, searching out common values, focused on peace and mutual understanding, and trying to solve sometimes intractable-looking problems along the way. I believe firmly in the importance of this, and it is why I see one of my roles as British ambassador to the Holy See as helping in my own small way to facilitate ecumenical work when I can – we are, essentially, in the same business of preventing and ending conflict.

It seems unlikely that what Pope Francis calls “the scandal of disunity” will be resolved any time soon. That does not make the role of ecumenists any less important. And if we start to become complacent, or if ecumenists themselves begin to feel disheartened or unappreciated, Pope Francis has also reminded us of a new form of ecumenism, “the ecumenism of blood”, the blood of inter-religious violence that does not make nice distinctions between Christian denominations. It makes one wonder whether we really have come that far since 1572. But it should also make us determined to keep working, in our different ways, to deal with the disunities – across ethnicities, faiths, nations – that continue to this day to undermine our security and sense of common humanity.

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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anglican bishop catholic christian council of churches diplomats ecumenical ecumenism orthodox pope francis unity

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