Tag: “uk ambassador blog”
22nd December 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The end of the year is always a good moment to take stock, and that holds no less for embassies as for individuals. A few of our 2014 highlights: The large number of high level bilateral visits to the Vatican, topped of course by that of Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh […]
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7th May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Old-fashioned stereotypes, especially when embedded in media narratives, die very hard. One of those is that faith-based institutions, especially Christian churches, have little to say to young people in our Western secularised world. I have to say that this has not been my experience in nearly three years accredited to the Holy See. Of course, […]
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30th April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It has been an extraordinary few years for the relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland. When Prime Minister David Cameron and Taoiseach Enda Kenny met in London in March, they commented that relations between our two countries had never been better. That’s a bold statement to make. And yet it was confirmed earlier this […]
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11th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The following is a guest blog by Simona Prete, Head of Communications at the British Embassy to the Holy See Empowerment, aspirations, voice, faith, women, church, end violence, are words which have been inspiring 2014 International Women’s Day across the world. A poignant moment in which women’s voices were listened to; and their role, their […]
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26th February 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
If anyone doubts the global nature of the Roman Catholic Church, they had only to attend the Consistory on 22 and 23 February, when Pope Francis created 19 new Cardinals from the senior bishops around the world. The 16 ‘working’ Cardinals in Pope Francis’s first list now take their part amongst the 120 or so […]
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11th February 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Much is likely to be written over the next few days about the legacy of Pope Benedict, a year since he announced he would be stepping down from office. No doubt many will be ready with their “compare and contrast” pieces, setting up one Pope against the other. Whatever we think of that approach, I […]
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15th January 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Pope Francis was very clear in his letter to the men on his first list of new cardinals since the beginning of his Pontificate. Being a Cardinal, he said, “means neither a promotion, an honour, nor a decoration; it is simply a service”. Simplicity, humility, sobriety and service are the benchmarks for Pope Francis’s cardinals, […]
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10th December 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It is right to call corruption a cancer. When it grows in the body politic, sometimes imperceptibly, it has the ability rapidly and insidiously to infiltrate and destroy the organs of the state. Once embedded, it is very difficult to cut out. Metastasis across society is common. It prevents countries from developing and reaching their […]
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18th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
England and Wales celebrate Inter-Faith week this week (Scotland celebrates a week later to coincide with St Andrew’s Day). When it comes to the relations between the world’s great religions, we tend to hear more about the bad news than the good. This breeds mistrust and reinforces prejudice and ignorance. So a few reminders of […]
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16th October 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
16 October is Blog Action Day, when bloggers across the world are encouraged to post on the same theme. I participated last year. As the theme for 2013 is “Human Rights”, as a blogger and as an Ambassador to the Holy See, I can hardly fail to do so again. I recommend to anyone interested […]
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