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Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Part of UK in Holy See

28th March 2012

Visiting Scotland

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See Nigel Baker

In a recent blog, I noted after a visit to Northern Ireland the importance for British ambassadors abroad of understanding the country they represent.

I spent last weekend in Edinburgh, at the kind invitation of the Scottish Catholic Bishops Conference. My programme included: meetings with the Catholic Bishops of Scotland, including Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien; a reception in honour of my opposite number in London, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Mennini, with a wide range of representatives of different Scottish institutions including the Scottish Government; and a service in St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral to which were also invited representatives of other denominations (including the Moderator of the Free Churches and the former Anglican Bishop of Edinburgh).

We discussed a wide range of issues:

  • The growth of the Polish community in Scotland, and their specific pastoral requirements reflecting their strong, Church-going tradition.
  • The Scottish relationship with the Holy See, and that of the Bishops Conference with the other Catholic hierarchies in England and Wales, and in Ireland.
  • The role of SCIAF, the Scottish Catholic NGO that engages in development aid from within the global Caritas Internationalis network.
  • The importance of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and how the media perception of that visit changed from the moment he touched down to a warm Scottish welcome.
  • And the fact that Celtic lost 3-2 to Rangers over the weekend!

I am delighted that Cardinal O’Brien and Archbishop Mario Conti will be joining the Embassy on 30 March for our Colloquium celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1982, and the visit that year of Pope John Paul II.

They will join other speakers from Wales and England, and from the diplomatic and the academic world, in exploring the legacy of 1982 for the relationship between Britain and the Holy See today.

What is clear is that without a Scottish dimension, our discussions would not be complete.

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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bishops conference caritas catholic edinburgh moderator nigel baker SCIAF Scotland

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