Britain names first Catholic ambassador to Vatican since Reformation

CNS via Denver Catholic Register ^ | 30 November 2005

[A.A. Cunningham]

Britain names first Catholic ambassador to Vatican since Reformation

LONDON (CNS) — Britain has appointed its first Catholic ambassador to the Vatican since the Protestant Reformation. The Foreign Office announced in mid-November that it had chosen Francis Campbell, 35, as a replacement for Kathryn Colvin, who retired in September. Campbell will take up his position in December. Diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Vatican were restored in 1914 after a break of 350 years, but in 1917 the Foreign Office issued a memorandum saying that Britain’s representative “should not be filled with unreasoning awe of the pope,” and the post has always been filled by a Protestant.

[A.A. Cunningham]

CHANGE OF AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE (15/11/05)

Mr Francis Campbell has been appointed Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Holy See in succession to Mrs Kathryn Colvin CVO who has retired from the Diplomatic Service. Mr Campbell will take up his appointment in December 2005.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full Name: Mr Francis Martin-Xavier Campbell
Date of Birth: 20 April 1970

2005 - Senior Policy Director, Amnesty International
2003 - 2005: 1st Secretary, British Embassy to Italy
2001 - 2003: On secondment to No 10 Downing Street as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
1999 - 2001: On secondment to No 10 Downing Street as Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister
1998 - 1999: European Enlargement Unit, FCO
1997 - 1998: On secondment to the European Commission – appointed to the EC Delegation at the UN in New York for the UK Presidency of the EU
1997: European Enlargement Unit, FCO
1996 - 1997: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (MA)
1994 - 1995: Katholieke University of Leuven, Belgium (MA)
1989 - 1992: Queen's University Belfast, (BA)

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The Foreign Secretary announced in Parliament on 15 December 2004 that the FCO would widen the pool of potential candidates to beyond current Diplomatic Service staff when appointing a new Ambassador to the Holy See.

2. This is the first time we have appointed an Ambassador by open competition, although it is not unusual now for senior civil service positions to be filled by open recruitment.

3. The advertisement inviting applications appeared in national newspapers in July. Over 120 applications were received from individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experience. A short-list for interview was drawn up and interviews took place in September.

4. This recruitment has enabled the FCO to ensure that the new Ambassador has the skills appropriate to the specific professional demands of the role. It is in line with the Government's policy of recruiting people with appropriate skills and experience from all areas of public life.

[Sam Gamgee]

I have always been very curious as to why I mostly see Catholic related posts on this board? Are there no Protestants on Free Republic? Just curious.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Cardinal welcomes new Ambassador to Holy See

Appointment ‘has broken with the unspoken assumption that the British representative to the Holy See should not be a Catholic’

The Archbishop of Westminster has described the appointment of Francis Campbell as the new British ambassador to the Holy See as “imaginative” and says it puts to an end the notion that the post was reserved to non-Catholics.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor described the young Catholic career diplomat from Northern Ireland as “an experienced diplomat who has worked with the Prime Minister” who was also “familiar with the language and the workings of the Catholic Church”.

When he presents his credentials to Pope Benedict XVI in December, the 35-year-old Campbell will be Britain’s first Catholic ambassador to the Holy See since the Reformation.

Relations between the UK and the Holy See were restored in 1914 after a break of 350 years. An apostolic delegate – nowadays a “papal nuncio” – was appointed in 1938 to represent the Holy See to Great Britain. Full diplomatic relations were restored in 1982 prior to Pope John Paul II’s visit to the UK.

Ever since a Foreign Office memo in 1917 which said Britain’s Vatican representative “should not be filled with an unreasoning awe of the Pope”, the British representative has been a Protestant, with a Catholic as deputy. This continued after 1982, when the post was raised to ambassadorial status.

The Foreign Office made clear recently, however, that there was no bar to a Catholic taking the post.

The spiritual leader of the Roman Catholics of England and Wales welcomed the evidence of this in the new appointment, which he said “has broken with the unspoken assumption that the British representative to the Holy See should not be a Catholic.”

The Holy See is the seat of government of the Catholic Church. Although the state in which it resides, Vatican City, is the world’s smallest, the Holy See is the hub of a global network of a billion people which leading nations regard as vital to world diplomacy.

CARDINAL STATEMENT IN FULL:

“I welcome the appointment of Francis Campbell as Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See. An experienced diplomat who has worked closely with the Prime Minister, Mr Campbell is also familiar with the language and the workings of the Catholic Church. This is an imaginative appointment which has broken with the unspoken assumption that the British representative to the Holy See should not be a Catholic.”

[freema]

I'd love to have heard the discussion between the Queen and Archbishop Williams about this appointment!

[ArrogantBustard]

the discussion between the Queen and Archbishop Williams

Her Majesty probably had to go to Stonehenge to find the Archdruibishop.

[A.A. Cunningham]

You'd have to pose that question to the Protestants.

[Sam Gamgee]

Just curious if Free Republic has any Protestants? Perhaps it just so happens that the only ones so far that have wanted to talk religion are Catholics. I guess I will never know short of doing a religious poll - or if I hear from any Protestants.

[NZerFromHK]

It happens that a lot of evangelicals post the Christian threads on the main or personal forums. This forum is almost exclusively the domain of Catholics, (Eastern) Orthodox, mainline Protestants and Reformed evangelicals (who almost line up with conservative Presbyterian beliefs).

[Sam Gamgee]

Oh Okay. That's good to know. Thanks

[Upbeat]

I'm an Evangelical(Arminian) who has found this forum to be very interesting and informative.

[Nihil Obstat]

What a great job -- hang out in Rome and the Vatican all the time. He's lucky to have it and he's only 35.

[NYer]

Perhaps it just so happens that the only ones so far that have wanted to talk religion are Catholics.

Chalk it off to Divine interviention :-). To which protestant denomination do you subscribe? There are many protestants at FR.

[NYer]

Mr Campbell is also familiar with the language and the workings of the Catholic Church.

Aaahh! A man who speaks 'vaticanese'. That will definitely work in his favor.

[Sam Gamgee]

I live in Canada and go to an Associated Gospel Church - a very small congregation. I'm not "married" to any particular Protestant church. I've been to Evangelical Free Churches, Baptist Churches, Gospel Churches, ect... Probably the only Protestant Church I would object to would be any that ordain gay ministers. And crazy Charismatic Churches - the music and people dancing in the aisles gives me a headache.

[redgolum]

We are here, but many of the more "vocal" posters got themselves banned about a year ago. It was pretty ugly, and the FR Religion forum had to have a house cleaning. Most of the other non Roman Catholics here don't post articles that much (for what ever reason). Just kind of how things fell out.

There are a few Baptist ping lists out there, HarleyD I think has one.

[bboop]

First, Catholics far out-number Protestants, so the ratios are against you. Second, many of us (former Prots) have crossed the Tiber. hmmmmmmmm. I have seen a number of thoughtful Protestant posts on FR, tho, don't despair. Same God and all that....

[theFIRMbss]

>First, Catholics far out-number Protestants, [?!] so the ratios are against you

------------------------------------------------------------------------
United States       14,347,027/Catholics       65,000,000/Protestants
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catholic Encyclopedia, Statistics of Religions

[theFIRMbss]

>I have always been very curious as to why I mostly see Catholic related posts on this board? Are there no Protestants on Free Republic

People always think
there are more Catholics than
there really are. It's

something to do with
Protestants keeping busy
with their real life, but

Catholics enjoy
public pomp, ceremony
and big theatrics.

It's a drama queen
kind of thing. I will get flamed,
of course, but they like

getting talked about.
Even if it's the Pythons
talking history:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

MR. HARRY BLACKITT: Look at them, bloody Catholics, filling the bloody world up with bloody people they can't afford to bloody feed.

MRS. BLACKITT: What are we dear?

MR. BLACKITT: Protestant, and fiercely proud of it.

MRS. BLACKITT: Hmm. Well, why do they have so many children?

MR. BLACKITT: Because... every time they have sexual intercourse, they have to have a baby.

MRS. BLACKITT: But it's the same with us, Harry.

MR. BLACKITT: What do you mean?

MRS. BLACKITT: Well, I mean, we've got two children, and we've had sexual intercourse twice.

MR. BLACKITT: That's not the point. We could have it any time we wanted.

MRS. BLACKITT: Really?

MR. BLACKITT: Oh, yes, and, what's more, because we don't believe in all that Papist claptrap, we can take precautions.

MRS. BLACKITT: What, you mean... lock the door?

MR. BLACKITT: No, no. I mean, because we are members of the Protestant Reformed Church, which successfully challenged the autocratic power of the Papacy in the mid- sixteenth century, we can wear little rubber devices to prevent issue.

MRS. BLACKITT: What d'you mean?

MR. BLACKITT: I could, if I wanted, have sexual intercourse with you,...

MRS. BLACKITT: Oh, yes, Harry.

MR. BLACKITT: ...and, by wearing a rubber sheath over my old feller, I could insure... that, when I came off, you would not be impregnated.

MRS. BLACKITT: Ooh!

MR. BLACKITT: That's what being a Protestant's all about. That's why it's the church for me. That's why it's the church for anyone who respects the individual and the individual's right to decide for him or herself. When Martin Luther nailed his protest up to the church door in fifteen- seventeen, he may not have realised the full significance of what he was doing, but four hundred years later, thanks to him, my dear, I can wear whatever I want on my John Thomas,... [sniff] ...and, Protestantism doesn't stop at the simple condom! Oh, no! I can wear French Ticklers if I want.

MRS. BLACKITT: You what?

MR. BLACKITT: French Ticklers. Black Mambos. Crocodile Ribs. Sheaths that are designed not only to protect, but also to enhance the stimulation of sexual congress.

MRS. BLACKITT: Have you got one?

MR. BLACKITT: Have I got one? Uh, well, no, but I can go down the road any time I want and walk into Harry's and hold my head up high and say in a loud, steady voice, 'Harry, I want you to sell me a condom. In fact, today, I think I'll have a French Tickler, for I am a Protestant.'

MRS. BLACKITT: Well, why don't you?

MR. BLACKITT: But they-- Well, they cannot, 'cause their church never made the great leap out of the Middle Ages and the domination of alien episcopal supremacy.

NARRATOR #1: But, despite the attempts of Protestants to promote the idea of sex for pleasure, children continued to multiply everywhere. . . .

[Nihil Obstat]

"United States -
14,347,027/Catholics 65,000,000/Protestants"

Not to split hairs but those stats are from 1910.

I think the last numbers I saw had about 65,000,000 Catholics in the US. Still, there are more protestants than Catholics in the US.

[Romish_Papist]

Nah, that's not it. It's not that you keep busy with real life or that pomp and ceremony get in the way of our lives, it's just that when you have the fullness of the Truth (as we Catholics do) you spend considerably more time concerned with it as opposed to things of this world. ;)