UK - Holy See relations
April 1982 marked the restoration of full diplomatic relations between United Kingdom
and the Holy See, following a break of over 400 years. Ambassador Sir Mark Heath presented
his credentials on April 1st 1982, just a few months ahead of Pope John
Paul’s historic visit to Britain – the first pope to travel there and mark a significant
milestone on the road to post-Reformation reconciliation.The history of UK-Holy See relations dates back to the days before the Reformation and the founding of the Church of England – right back to 1479 when King Edward IV appointed the first resident ambassador to the Vatican. But that relationship didn’t last – it was broken off just half a century later....
George Edgar is Charge d’affaires at British embassy to HS – he came to Vatican Radio to tell us more about the history of relations with the Holy See and the impact of Pope Benedict’s recent visit to the UK in September 2010
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