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Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Part of UK in Holy See

13th January 2015

The Universal Papacy

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The British Ambassador to the Holy See Nigel Baker greets Pope Francis (March 2013)

The title may have startled you. It was Pope Innocent III, back in the 13th century, who declared that as ‘Vicar of Christ’ the Pope had received from God “not only the universal church but the whole world to govern”. Even at the time, secular rulers begged to differ, leading to centuries of competition for authority between popes and kings. By the 19th century, any Papal pretensions to secular power had vanished entirely. No one today, least of all Pope Francis, talks of the Pope’s “plenitude of power” as did Innocent III.

And yet this week has seen more than a hint of the application of papal global authority. Not, of course, in secular terms. But with Pope Francis embarking on a major tour of Sri Lanka and the Philippines – just a few months after his last foray to Asia in South Korea – and his traditional New Year’s speech to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See still ringing in my ears, it is worth pausing to reflect on the modern ‘universal’ role of the Pope.

In short, it is difficult to imagine any other leader with similar stature addressing the world in quite the way Pope Francis is currently doing. The Secretary General of the United Nations does have a global mandate, but he is at the beck and call of the 193 member states of the organisation. Pope Francis speaks for himself, the Catholic Church, and the global Holy See network, and does so in a ‘universal’ fashion that, despite globalisation, few others are prepared to do.

Who else, in a single tour d’horizon, can address with such force religious fundamentalism – which “before it eliminates human beings by perpetrating horrendous killings, eliminates God himself, turning him into a mere ideological pretext”? Or the civil conflicts ravaging Africa requiring “common commitment … to pursue reconciliation, peace, and the defence of the transcendent dignity of the person”; the need for action against the causes and not only the effects” of global migration; the role of diplomacy and dialogue to counter “the full potential of man’s destructive power”? Which other leader is addressing the increasing range and intensity of global conflict – “ a true world war fought piecemeal” – by joining up the dots from Ukraine (requiring “a renewed spirit of respect for international law”) to Nigeria, Pakistan to Colombia?

The visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines will see the Pope reaching out to Asia, addressing vital global issues like inter-religious tension, the need for a better pattern of development, and climate change. This year will see further visits to Africa, Latin America, Europe, and to the United Nations itself. The Papal footprint is growing. It would be wrong even to try to make a comparison with the medieval papacy. But I think even Innocent III would be impressed.

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About Nigel Baker

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as…

Nigel was British Ambassador to the Holy See from 2011-2016. He presented his Credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on 9 September 2011, after serving 8 years in Latin America, as Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy in Havana, Cuba (2003-6) and then as British Ambassador in La Paz, Bolivia (2007-11). In July 2016, Nigel finished his posting, and is currently back in London.

As the first British Ambassador to the Holy See ever to have a blog, Nigel provided a regular window on what the Embassy and the Ambassador does. The blogs covered a wide range of issues, from Royal and Ministerial visits to Diplomacy and Faith, freedom of religion, human trafficking and climate change.

More on Nigel’s career

Nigel was based in London between 1998 and 2003. He spent two years on European Union issues (for the UK 1998 EU Presidency and on European Security and Defence questions), before crossing St James’s Park to work for three years as The Assistant Private Secretary to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. At St James’s Palace, Nigel worked on international issues, including the management of The Prince of Wales’s overseas visits and tours, on the Commonwealth, interfaith issues, the arts and international development.

Nigel spent much of the early part of his FCO career in Central Europe, after an initial stint as Desk Officer for the Maghreb countries in the Near East and North Africa department (1990-91). Between 1992 and 1996, Nigel served in the British embassies in Prague and Bratislava, the latter being created in 1993 after the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia into the separate Czech and Slovak Republics.

Nigel joined the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) in September 1989. Between 1996 and 1998 he took a two year academic sabbatical to research and write about themes in 18th century European history, being based in Verona but also researching in Cambridge, Paris and Naples. The research followed from Nigel’s time as a student at Cambridge (1985-88) where he read history and was awarded a First Class Honours degree, followed by his MA in 1992.

Before joining the Foreign Office, Nigel worked briefly for the Conservative Research Department in London at the time of the 1989 European election campaign.

Nigel married Alexandra (Sasha) in 1997. They have one son, Benjamin, born in Bolivia in September 2008.

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