Forgoing Vatican influence a mistake

The Irish Government has essentially thumbed its nose at the Vatican by announcing the closure of the Irish diplomatic mission to the Holy See.

In the midst of economic difficulties it is easy to understand why the Government would question the cost of separate diplomatic missions in Rome and the Vatican. They are essentially in the same city.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs explained that the mission at the Holy See “yields no economic return”. The decision to close the mission there is logical in purely economic terms. Officials at the Vatican are now “extremely irritated” by the decision, and fears that other countries will follow suit.