Pope Francis key to improving Irish-Vatican relations, says expert

Pope Francis’ leadership has been key to improving diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Holy See, an expert in Vatican diplomacy claims.

Victor Gaetan told The Irish Catholic that, according to sources in Rome, it was “the Irish Government’s willingness to work with Pope Francis that inspired it to re-open its embassy in 2014”.

Mr Gaetan, author of the book God’s Diplomats, added that concerns for the environment and human rights have been “precious common ground” between the two states.

Irish-Holy See diplomatic relations were tense following the reports on the Church’s handling of abuse, Mr Gaetan said, but “Francis had jumped that wall”.

“Had Pope Benedict XVI continued in office, the tension between the Irish Government and the Holy See over how the Church handled its history of clerical sexual abuse would probably still characterise the Ireland-Vatican bilateral relationship,” Mr Gaetan said.

In 2011, the Holy See recalled the Vatican ambassador after comments from then Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Later that year, Ireland closed its embassy in the Holy See, in what was then interpreted in Vatican circles as a snub by Ireland.

The embassy reopened in 2014, and has had two ambassadors since then, including current ambassador Derek Hannon.

Read Victor Gaetan’s full interview with Ruadhán Jones here.