Sir, – We should close any embassy if there were irrefutable evidence that the representatives of the state in question had knowingly abused our citizens in our own country by acts that are intrinsically evil and in all respects contrary to our law, had met this evidence with a varying response of denial, obfuscation, equivocation and prevarication, had moved those who committed these acts abroad or to another part of the country to avoid detection and had claimed that its own laws supersede ours and therefore not subject to them. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I have been anxiously scanning the online Italian press for the headline “Ireland closes embassy to Vatican – Roman Catholic Church cast adrift”. Am I an alarmist? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – With great respect, I ask the Government to reverse the decision to close the Irish Embassy to the Holy See.
The failures both at the Vatican and in Dublin to address the issue of child safeguarding adequately and the mutually insulting exchanges that have taken place – Archbishop Leanza’s arguably correct but inept response to the inquiries and the Taoiseach’s indulgent Dáil speech – do not provide grounds for such a divisive move.
Frankly, the proposal to save merely several hundred thousand euro by closing the embassy is not credible. It seems a small sum for access to one of the most important diplomatic hubs in international relations.
It is also worth considering that the closure of our embassy at the Holy See will be interpreted as deeply disappointing and even alienating by many Catholics in Ireland who have taken pride in the connection. If they form the judgment that it has been severed for political or ideological reasons, they will surely feel insulted. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I read with surprise recent letters concerning the closing of the Irish Embassy in the Vatican and also the lack of Irish Governmental enthusiasm to invite the Pope to Ireland for next year’s Eucharistic Congress.
I must confess that on more than one occasion I had to check that I was not reading an “In times gone by” page from the 1950s by mistake.
I’m afraid the day is gone where any church or state should be entitled to special treatment from this Republic and I was very happy and relieved to finally hear an Irish Taoiseach [also a practising Catholic] in the Dáil setting out his understanding of where our relationship with the Vatican now stands.
I am quite sure that next year, the new Pope will not be turned back at Dublin Airport if his passport is in order.
And I believe that there is another Irish embassy located quite near the Vatican if any future pilgrims run into any trouble. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – For “yielding no economic return” the Minister for Foreign Affairs decided to close the Irish Embassy to the Vatican by the end of this year. I wonder did Eamon Gilmore inform his fellow party member Michael D Higgins about his plans.
As president, Mr Higgins, as the highest representative of Ireland, will be represented by the Irish ambassadors abroad. Closing the embassy to the Vatican for economic reasons must be highly embarrassing for the president- elect who is known to be very dedicated to culture, human rights and international understanding.
I feel sorry for the Irish diplomats if, in future, economic return is such a grave issue in their work that failing a certain benchmark will lead to the closure of an embassy. During 25 years as president of the German-Irish-Society in Bonn I never had the impression that the ambassadors and their staff were less friendly and co-operative for our lack of “yielding economic return” to Ireland. They obviously knew that there is more to international relations than commerce and profit. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Even those of us who are not members of the Roman Catholic Church must regret the insult felt by members of our majority faith by the closing of Ireland’s embassy in the Vatican. And, considering Ireland’s major role in the restoration of their independence, the lessening of our ties with of the beleaguered people of East Timor is inexplicable.
The savings involved are only a drop in the ocean of our indebtedness, so let us not show ourselves to be morally as well as economically bankrupt in the aftermath of our excesses. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I refer to your Editorial (November 5th) in which you state, “The highly charged exchanges between the Taoiseach and the Vatican concerning unwarranted interference in this state . . . have all contributed to the closure of Ireland’s embassy to the Holy See”.
Using this logic, it might make far more sense to close our embassies in Berlin and Paris (not to mention their IMF friends).
I have no doubt that Ireland will come to regret this seemingly knee-jerk reaction. – Yours, etc,