Vatican fears Anglican envoy

The Times
By Richard Owen and Richard Beeston
Britian's next ambassador appointed to the Holy See may end a tradition



THE Vatican yesterday warned Britain against merging religious and diplomatic duties, when it selects its next ambassador to the Holy See from a range of candidates outside the Diplomatic Service.

A spokesman for the Vatican said that it had asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for “clarification” after Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said in a statement that he would break with tradition and consider appointing a non-professional diplomat as Britain’s next envoy.

In a little-noticed passage this week on the shake-up of the Diplomatic Service, Mr Straw said there was “no question” of closing Britain’s Embassy to the Vatican. Rome is in the unusual position of having two British embassies, one to Italy, headed by Sir Ivor Roberts, and the other to the Holy See, headed by Kathryn Colvin.

But he said that Britain’s interests could be maintained “if we widen the pool of potential candidates” when a successor to Mrs Colvin is sought next year. She took up her post in Rome in September 2002 and is due to return to London next September.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1406545,00.html

Step forward David Blunkett, disgraced ex-Home Secretary looking for a positiion somewhere...? Or maybe Lord Levy, Poodle's former Middle East envoy?