Vatican embassy won’t be housed in Villa Spada

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has confirmed that the soon-to-be reopened Irish Embassy at the Vatican will not be housed in the historic Villa Spada building.

Campaigners had been hopeful after the Government announced earlier this year that it had reversed a controversial decision to downgrade relations with the Holy See and was planning to open a new embassy with a resident ambassador.

Before former Tánaiste and Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore decided to close the embassy, it was housed in the Villa Spada on Rome’s Janiculum hill. The building now houses Ireland’s Embassy to Italy.

Reopened

Campaign group Ireland Stand Up had written to Minister Flanagan asking him to site the reopened embassy at the Villa Spada. However, Mr Flanagan has now confirmed that the Embassy to the Holy See will be sited elsewhere. He claimed that given that the Villa Spada now acts as the embassy and ambassador’s residence for the Irish diplomat accredited to Italy, there is insufficient room.

Emma Madigan – Ireland’s recently-appointed resident Ambassador to the Vatican is expected to be in Rome in the autumn to set up the new embassy. She will be the only Irish diplomat accredited to the Vatican and will take over from David Cooney, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs who has been acting as non-resident ambassador based in Dublin.