Fury grows over Foreign Office 'insult' to the Catholic Church

BY MARK GREAVES
A SIMMERING row over the decision to downgrade Britain's embassy to theHoly See was reignited this week as a group of MPs accused the Foreign Office of an "insult to the Vatican".
Furious politicians — nonCatholics as well as Catholics — are writing to the Government to protest at what they regard as the Foreign Office's brutal treatment of Britain's new and highly regarded Vatican ambassador, Francis Campbell, the first Catholic ever to hold this sensitive post.
Mr Campbell is losing his official residence and may he forced to look for a twobedroomed flat in Rome.
His staff has been cut from five to one. and his entertainment budget — with which he is expected to look after large numbers of foreign dignitaries and visiting cardinals — is only £6,000 a year.
Critics are astonished that the Foreign Office has inflicted this humiliation on Mr Campbell. who is expected to represent British interests to the leaders of an organisation of a billion people.
Some observers suspect that the Ulster-born ambassador, a devout Catholic, is the victim of residual anti-Catholicism within the Foreign Office.
"They wouldn't dare treat the ambassador to a Muslim country like this," said one.
Conservative MP David Amess is leading the campaign to reverse the changes. "It is an absolute disgrace and an insult to the Vatican that this is happening," he said.
"I and my colleagues are horrified that Britain intends to dumb down the significance of the Vatican, especially now, when it is of more importance than it ever has been in my lifetime."
The row has upset relations with the Vatican and undermined Mr Campbell only a few months after his appointment.
The new ambassador, as a former Downing Street adviser who once considered joining the priesthood, has a historic opportunity to develop the relationship between the British Government and the Church.
But he is unlikely to be able to do so if his status is that of ambassador to a tiny banana republic rather than to the Vatican.
A Government spokeswoman insisted this week that no decision has been made.
An earlier proposal to move him to an annexe of the Villa Wolkonsky, the residence of Britain's ambassador to Italy, was abandoned after an angry response from the Vatican. The move was seen to breach the 1929 Lateran Treaty, which grants the Vatican sovereign status and the right to separate foreign missions.
The timing of the controversy could not be worse, according to a source close to the Vatican. "It is ironic that the embassy is being stripped of essential resources at a time when they are so clearly needed," he said.
As we report this week, Pope Benedict has been officially invited to Britain, and the embassy to the Holy See would play a crucial role during any such visit.
Mr Amess became aware of the embassy's mistreatment during a visit to Rome, when he led a delegation of Ivff's to meet the Pope.
"Francis is highly regarded at the Vatican," Mr Amess said.
"He has all the issues at his fingertips, and could not have done more to make us welcome. The whole of the party I took to the embassy was very impressed with him, and we are shocked at the way he has been treated."
The Vatican has already allowed the ambassador's office to be located in the same compound as Britain's Italian embassy.
The only other state permitted to combine both premises for reasons of security is Israel, while the United Stales continues to retain distinctly separate embassies and residences.
According to Church sources, Pope Benedict and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State, made clear that they would not allow this sovereign status to be further undermined by Britain's actions.
Mr Amess said: "The Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with 174 nations and all major powers have separate missions to the Vatican and Rome.
"Britain and the Vatican are engaged in a vital dialogue on issues from relations with Islam to development aid to Africa, as well as AnglicanCatholic rapprochement."
Mr Campbell is now working with a reduced staff after his office was moved. He has not been given any personal protection, and so is sometimes forced to travel to Vatican functions in a taxi, or even, according to rumours, on the Number 64 bus.
Sir Ivor Roberts, Britain's ambassador to Italy, is provided with an armourplated car and a motorcade.
Foreign Office officials deny the Government is planning to shut the mission, "There is no question of closing or downgrading the embassy. The embassy is an important part of our network," said a spokesman, who insisted that the changes were being made "for security reasons".
The 35-year-old son of a farmer from Newry in County Down, Mr Campbell is not only Britain's youngest ambassador, he is also the first Northern Irish Catholic to reach such a position since Irish independence in 1921, As a civil service adviser on Europe, he was said to have the Prime Minister's ear, and was responsible for arranging Tony Blair's trip to Rome shortly before the invasion of Iraq.
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