Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Criticism as David Cameron sends 'trouble-shooter' to the Vatican

Having been surprised by a string of rejections for the role of Britain's ambassador to the Vatican from such candidates as Ann Widdecombe, Lord Patten of Barnes and the MP Edward Leigh, David Cameron has been forced to turn to a trusted trouble-shooter.

Mandrake can disclose that George Edgar will be the interim chargé d'affaires to the Holy See when Francis Campbell leaves his post at the end of this month.

Edgar, a former ambassador to Macedonia and Cambodia, was brought in to oversee the preparations for Pope Benedict XVI's historic state visit to Britain last September after Anjoum Noorani was removed from the role for writing a memo which was leaked to The Sunday Telegraph.

In the document, the civil servant mocked the Pontiff and traditional Catholic teaching.

The memo suggested that during the Pope's visit to Britain he should launch a brand of condoms, open an abortion clinic and bless a civil partnership.

Last month, Mandrake reported that the Coalition would send a "temp" to the Vatican for six months while it continued to search for a long-term successor to Campbell.
The delay has caused concern among the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See, which is seeking a meeting with Henry Bellingham, the Foreign Office minister.

Joe Benton, a Catholic Labour MP, who is the co-chairman of the group, tells The Tablet: "I'm a bit concerned it's taking so long to replace Francis, as it has been known for a long time that he is going."

An official at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office had told me: "It is becoming a genuine embarrassment."

SIC: TC/UK