Simona Prete

Head of Communications, British Embassy to the Holy See

Guest blogger for Nigel Baker

Part of UK in Holy See

7th July 2016

Ask our Ambassador in the Holy See

Twitter Q&A HMA Holy See
On Thursday 14 July at 10:30-11:30 am (UK time), our Ambassador Nigel Baker will be online to bid farewell to the numerous followers of @UKinHolySee Twitter handle, after five exciting years as British Ambassador to the Holy See.

You can tweet your questions in advance to #AskHMA about the depth and importance of the modern relationship between Britain and the Holy See, the highlights of his five years mandate – from presenting his Credentials to Pope Benedict in September 2011 to his final Audience with Pope Francis last June, and about Papal diplomacy today.

In his farewell blog last week, the Ambassador wrote that “the end of a diplomatic mission is always time for reflection”. This is an opportunity to engage with him online, flowing from his five years of conversation through his blog platform (231 posts to-date).  We are all proud of the growth of our digital engagement over these years; not only in numbers of followers, but also the richness of the conversation.

In his message for 2016 World Day of Social Communications, Pope Francis said that social networks can be “fully human forms of communication”. The Ambassador will be answering your questions, tweeting his personal insights from his unique posting in the Holy See, before embarking on new challenges in his career.

Digital diplomacy will remain a key element of Embassy’s work. On 14 July, there will be a chance to bid farewell to our blogging British Ambassador, the first accredited to the Holy See to place digital dialogue at the heart of our work.

2 comments on “Ask our Ambassador in the Holy See

  1. Question for FB Live: What is your most unforgettable experience as UK ambassador to Holy See.?

Comments are closed.

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.

Follow Nigel