The Government’s decision to reopen the Irish embassy in the Vatican was hugely influenced by the work of Pope Francis and his commitment to ending world poverty, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said yesterday.

For a state as influenced by the Catholic Church, for a state where so many citizens are Catholic as this one, the closure of our embassy in the Vatican was a radical, unprecedented expression of dissatisfaction. Nevertheless it was entirely justified in the circumstances.

A senior civil servant appointed non-resident ambassador to the Vatican is to open talks with the Pope’s representatives on sharing an embassy building with other diplomats assigned to Rome.