Scottish Catholic Observer

The UK Government’s failure to include Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s most senior Catholic clergyman, in the two-day ministerial visit to the Holy See that concluded today has been called ‘a most unfortunate oversight.’

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office failed to include him in the planning of events for the visit in spite of the fact that Cardinal O’Brien (above) is in Rome this week for a symposium of African and European bishops ahead of the Consistory of Cardinals this weekend.

The breach of protocol may now overshadow the success of the visit, which Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster said marked a high point in UK-Vatican relations.

It was to be hoped that ... Scotland’s interests would have been fully represented, this however has not proved to be the case.

Peter Kearney, the director of the Scottish Catholic Media Office, said the situation was most regrettable.

“The fact that Cardinal Keith O’Brien, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland and Britain’s senior Catholic, was not included in the UK Government delegation which visited the Holy See is a most unfortunate oversight,” he said. “The Foreign Office have obviously been involved in the planning process for this visit for several months and should have been aware that within the United Kingdom the Catholic Church is organised into three distinct and autonomous Bishops’ Conferences; the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, England & Wales and Ireland. Strictly speaking all three should have been represented and involved in any UK delegation.”

Mr Kearney also said that the Scottish Secretary Michael Moore should have done more to ensure the cardinal’s involvement.

“This situation is especially regrettable since one of the members of the ministerial delegation is the Secretary of State for Scotland, whose constituency is in Cardinal O’Brien’s Archdiocese,” he said. “It was to be hoped that as a result of this Scotland’s interests would have been fully represented, this however has not proved to be the case.”

Mr Moore said he was sorry the delegation had not ‘crossed paths’ with Cardinal O’Brien while they were in Rome but that he would give him a ‘full report’ on his return.

A Scotland Office spokesman said: “The UK Government delegation to the Vatican was a ministerial one. It has had a successful and constructive series of meetings with Holy See officials over the past two days, dealing with important issues such as international aid, human rights, poverty and climate change. The party was made up of ministers.”

However Archbishop Nichols accompanied the delegation.

—ian@sconews.co.uk