[caption id="attachment_68121" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Ireland's Vatican embassy."]
Ireland will maintain its diplomatic relations with the Vatican through an ambassador based in Dublin, it has been confirmed.
Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore said a senior diplomat would be appointed to service the Holy See directly from Ireland after announcing earlier this month that the Vatican City embassy would be closed due to economic reasons.
However, Fianna Fáil deputy leader, Eamon O Cuiv, said he did not believe the mission to the Vatican was being shut down for financial reasons.
The Galway West TD said savings could easily have been made elsewhere and argued Ireland's international reputation would be damaged by the move at a time when countries such as Britain, Australia and Russia have all upgraded missions to the Holy See.
"When has Ireland decided that issues such as human rights, third world aid, freedom of religion, the environment, disarmament or democracy are not important any more, and that everything is just a matter of economic gain?" O Cuiv said during a debate on the issue in the Dáil.
O Cuiv said the Vatican was "a major player in global diplomacy," with one of the largest diplomatic corps in the world.
But Mr. Gilmore said the resident embassy closure would save the taxpayer €1.2 million euro a year while diplomatic relations would continue.
"I would hope that in the course of time as the country recovers, we will be able to return to the question of whether or not we should have resident embassies in those locations," he said, in reference to both the Vatican closure and the closing of the Irish embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
"But right now it's not the government's intention to reverse the decision which has been made. That decision will stand," Gilmore said.
Meanwhile, Bishop of Kerry, Dr. Bill Murphy. has criticized the decision to close the Vatican embassy.
Like O Cuiv, the bishop said he did not believe it was for purely economic reasons.
"The Holy See works quietly behind the scenes and is a hugely important force," he said.
