Ireland to Close Embassy to Vatican, Sydney Morning Herald, November 4, 2011

Ireland to Close Embassy to Vatican

Sydney Morning Herald
November 4, 2011

http://www.smh.com.au/world/ireland-to-close-embassy-to-vatican-20111104-1n00g.html

Dublin will no longer have a diplomatic presence at St Peter's.

Ireland says it will close its embassy to the Vatican as part of a shake-up of its missions abroad following a row with the Holy See earlier this year over a child sex abuse scandal.

''It is with the greatest regret and reluctance that the government has decided to close Ireland's [embassy] to the Holy See,'' the Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore said the move was not connected to the row with the Vatican, sparked by a July report into a child abuse scandal in the diocese of Cloyne, insisting it was aimed at saving money.

Pope Benedict XVI. Photo: AP

The Foreign Ministry said ''the government believes that Ireland's interests with the Holy See can be sufficiently represented by a non-resident ambassador''. The ministry will also close the embassy in Iran and a representative office in East Timor in the overhaul.

A 2009 report on public expenditure savings choices for the government said Ireland had 76 embassies and consulates compared with 40 in 1989. The report recommended reducing the number to 55.

Dublin was forced to turn to the European Union and International Monetary Fund in November last year to seek a ˆ85 billion rescue package after a financial crisis.