It is common knowledge that our island’s deep-rooted relationship with Catholicism spans hundreds of years, stretching all the way back to the 6th century and St Gregory the Great.
Yet, despite our longstanding spiritual ties to the Vatican, it might surprise some readers to learn that full diplomatic relations between the UK and the Holy See are still relatively new. It was almost exactly four decades ago that the British ambassador Sir Mark Heath presented his credentials to St John Paul II and our legation to the Holy See became a fully-fledged British embassy.
