Britain's new ambassador to the Holy See on Friday presented his credentials to Pope
Benedict XVI, stressing his government's commitment to "ever closer co-operation between
the UK and the Holy See". In his address to the Pope, Ambassador Nigel Baker
highlighted areas of shared common values, in particular efforts to combat climate
change, the elaboration of an international arms trade treaty and the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals.
In his address to the new ambassador,
Pope Benedict recalled his his visit to the UK last September and stressed the importance
of fostering enduring values that cannot be simply expressed in legal terms. Read
the full text of the Pope's words:
Your Excellency, I am pleased to welcome
you and to accept the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Holy See. I am
grateful for the warm greetings which you bring from Her Majesty The Queen and I ask
you to convey my prayerful good wishes for Her health and prosperity. I am also pleased
to send my cordial greetings to Her Majesty’s Government and to all the British people.
The Holy See and the United Kingdom have enjoyed excellent relations in the thirty
years that have passed since full diplomatic relations were established. The close
bond between us was further strengthened last year during my Visit to your country,
a unique occasion in the course of the shared history of the Holy See and the countries
which today compose the United Kingdom. I would therefore like to begin my remarks
by reiterating my gratitude to the British people for the warm welcome which I received
during my stay. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh received
me most graciously and I was pleased to meet the leaders of the three main political
parties and to discuss with them matters of common concern. As you know, a particular
motive for my Visit was the Beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman, a great Englishman
whom I have admired for many years and whose raising to the altars was a personal
wish fulfilled. I remain convinced of the relevance of Newman’s insights regarding
society, as the United Kingdom, Europe and the West in general today face challenges
that he identified with remarkable prophetic clarity. It is my hope that a fresh
awareness of his writings will bear new fruit among those searching for solutions
to the political, economic and social questions of our age. As you rightly remarked
in your address, Mr Ambassador, the Holy See and the United Kingdom continue to share
a common concern for peace among nations, the integral development of peoples throughout
the world, especially the poorest and weakest, and the spread of authentic human rights,
especially through the rule of law and fair participative government, with a special
care for the needy and those whose natural rights are denied. On the subject of peace,
I was very pleased to note the success of Her Majesty’s recent Visit to the Republic
of Ireland, an important milestone in the process of reconciliation that is happily
becoming ever more firmly established in Northern Ireland, despite the unrest that
occurred there during this past summer. I take this opportunity once again to encourage
all who would resort to violence to put aside their grievances, and to seek instead
a dialogue with their neighbours for the peace and prosperity of the whole community.
As you pointed out in your speech, your Government wishes to employ policies that
are based on enduring values that cannot be simply expressed in legal terms. This
is especially important in the light of events in England this summer. When policies
do not presume or promote objective values, the resulting moral relativism, instead
of leading to a society that is free, fair, just and compassionate, tends instead
to produce frustration, despair, selfishness and a disregard for the life and liberty
of others. Policy makers are therefore right to look urgently for ways to uphold
excellence in education, to promote social opportunity and economic mobility, to examine
ways to favour long-term employment and to spread wealth much more fairly and broadly
throughout society. Moreover, the active fostering of the essential values of a healthy
society, through the defence of life and of the family, the sound moral education
of the young, and a fraternal regard for the poor and the weak, will surely help to
rebuild a positive sense of one’s duty, in charity, towards friends and strangers
alike in the local community. Be assured that the Catholic Church in your country
is eager to continue offering her substantial contribution to the common good through
her offices and agencies, in accordance with her own principles and in the light of
the Christian vision of the rights and dignity of the human person. Looking further
afield, Your Excellency has mentioned several areas where the Holy See and the United
Kingdom have already agreed and worked together, including initiatives for debt relief
and financing for development. The sustainable development of the world’s poorer
peoples through well-targeted assistance remains a worthy goal, since the peoples
of developing countries are our brothers and sisters, of equal dignity and worth and
deserving of our respect in every way, and such assistance should always aim to improve
their lives and their economic prospects. As you know, development is also of benefit
to donor countries, not only through the creation of economic markets, but also through
the fostering of mutual respect, solidarity, and above all peace through prosperity
for all the world’s peoples. Promoting models of development which employ modern
knowledge to husband natural resources will also have the benefit of better protecting
the environment for emerging and developed countries alike. This is why I remarked
in Westminster Hall last year that integral human development, and all that it entails,
is an enterprise truly worthy of the world’s attention and one that is too big to
be allowed to fail. The Holy See therefore welcomes Prime Minister Cameron’s recent
announcement of his intention to ring-fence Great Britain’s aid budget. I would also
invite you, during your mandate, to explore ways of furthering development cooperation
between your Government and the Church’s charity and development agencies, especially
those based here in Rome and in your country. Finally, Mr Ambassador, in offering
you my prayerful good wishes for the success of your mission, allow me to assure you
that all the departments of the Roman Curia stand ready to support you in your duties.
Upon you, your family and all the British people, I cordially invoke God’s abundant
blessings.