Pope welcomes UK’s new ambassador

(September 09, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday welcomed Britain’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Nigel Baker, and voiced his concern over issues such as world peace, value-based policies, human rights, the needs of the poor and the environment. “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,” the Pope said after receiving the credentials of Baker at a formal ceremony at the papal summer residence of Castelgandolfo, outside Rome. The pontiff particularly commended Queen Elizabeth’s recent visit to the Republic of Ireland as an “important milestone in the process of reconciliation,” and encouraged “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.” Pope Benedict also recalled that “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. In this regard he called for 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. The Pope also commended the cooperation between the UK and Holy See especially with regard to debt relief and financing for development. He also said that 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.