Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis on Tuesday received Ireland’s new ambassador to the Holy See, ending a three-year hiatus in which the ambassador was based in Ireland.

In November 2011 the Irish government announced that it was closing the embassy at the Vatican, justifying the move as a cost-cutting measure. The embassy, however, closed after Prime Minister Enda Kenny had accused the Holy See of deliberately thwarting an Irish government probe into sex-abuse allegations—a claim that drew a sharp rebuke from the Vatican.

“I was received very warmly by Pope Francis,” Ambassador Emma Madigan, the first woman to hold the role (above with Pope Francis), said. “Although the ceremony itself around the credentials was formal, the discussion itself was informal, and it was a very relaxed conversation.”

“We spoke of priorities that are very dear to Ireland, such as our development program, our concern regarding the plight of Christians and other religious minorities in the world today,” she added. “I was able to update Pope Francis on talks in Northern Ireland and of course on recent developments in Ireland more broadly.”

On a more personal note, the ambassador said she had not been expecting the Pope’s keen sense of humor.

“We had a few laughs, he had a very open and very warm approach to me,” she said. “After the ceremony he met my husband and son and he gave my son a high five’.

Previously Ambassador Madigan was assistant chief of protocol in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Throughout her 14 year diplomatic career, she has also served as vice xonsul in New York, private secretary to the secretary general and deputy director of Europe and the UN Coordination Section.

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Pic: L’Osservatore Romano