Keep Vatican embassy open

THE Conference of Religious of Ireland is surprised and disappointed with the Government’s decision to close the Embassy to the Holy See. We ask the Government to reconsider this decision, for which no reasonable justification has been offered.

An embassy exists in the first place not for economic or market reasons but to keep the Government in the home country informed on issues, and secondly to cultivate good relations with the host country and other serving diplomats stationed in that country. There are close to 80 ambassadors accredited to the Holy See and based in Rome, with a further 100 located elsewhere. This extensive network provides unparalleled opportunities for exchanges on a range of issues. In addition to this, the Vatican has over 200 embassies worldwide.

Last week, Russia raised its embassy to the Vatican to ambassadorial level. We need every possible international connection and good relationship in these difficult times — and closing an embassy, which has served us well over the decades, seems like a retrograde and unnecessary step.