Tánaiste says State is open to visit by Pope

HARRY McGEE, Political Correspondent

THE GOVERNMENT is willing to invite Pope Benedict to Ireland despite the closure of the Irish Embassy to the Holy See, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has said.

Mr Gilmore, Minister for Foreign Affairs, said he wanted to remove misunderstandings arising from the closure of the mission to the Vatican, including the claim that diplomatic relations had been downgraded or broken off, or that the Government was unwilling to invite the Pope to Ireland.

The Tánaiste told the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs that if the Vatican were to request a papal visit to Ireland he had no doubt the Government would respond positively and extend an invitation. Such a request might arise “at a time of mutual convenience, for instance on the occasion of next year’s eucharistic congress”.

He said the closure of the Vatican Embassy would save the State €800,000 in a full year.

The combined savings from the closure of three missions – the other two are Iran and Timor-Leste – would save a combined €1.2 million.

Mr Gilmore appeared before the committee to set out the reasons why the three missions had been closed. The Vatican decision was criticised by several members, including Fianna Fáil TD Sean Ó Fearghail, who described it as a “mistake” and in stronger terms by his Seanad colleague Jim Walsh, who said it was a bad decision which had resulted in a “disengaging and diminishing of our relations with the Vatican”.

Mr Gilmore said the decision had been taken on economic grounds and it was not connected to the row between the Government and the Vatican over its role in child abuse. He said there were only two embassies in South American and too few in Asia.

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