A visit by Leo XIV to the United Kingdom is “probable, desirable and even inevitable.” So states the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, who believes that diplomatic and ecclesial circumstances make a papal trip to England during his pontificate plausible.
In an interview granted to ACI Prensa on the occasion of the publication of his book Faith, Life and Diplomacy, the Holy See’s representative maintains that the visit would respond, among other factors, to the state visit that King Charles III made to the Vatican last year. “It is logical that the United Kingdom should now invite Pope Leo XIV to return that visit,” he notes.
The first papal visit since Benedict XVI
If confirmed, it would be the first papal journey to the United Kingdom since Benedict XVI’s apostolic visit in 2010.
Maury also highlights that Leo XIV is the first English-speaking Pope in more than eight centuries, a circumstance that, in his view, would favor an especially significant welcome and amplify his message throughout the English-speaking world.
“The bishops of England and Scotland also hope that a papal visit will revitalize the proclamation of the faith in one of the most secularized societies in Europe,” he states.
“A time of grace” for the Church in Great Britain
The nuncio considers that Catholicism is experiencing a hopeful moment in the United Kingdom. As he explains, after decades of secularization, a renewed interest in the faith is beginning to be perceived, especially among young people.
He also attributes the growth in religious practice to the contribution of thousands of immigrants and their families, whose presence has helped revitalize parish life and Catholic communities.
“Awakening the conscience of the West”
During the interview, Maury also shares his vision of the current pontificate and the role Leo XIV may play in the international context.
“Everything indicates that the pontificate of Leo XIV is called to awaken the conscience of the West, just as that of Saint John Paul II once awakened the conscience of the East, so that the Church may once again breathe fully with both lungs,” he affirms.
Almost four decades in the service of pontifical diplomacy
Born in Spain in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1980, Miguel Maury Buendía entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1987. Since then he has carried out various missions in countries such as Rwanda, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Romania and Moldova.
In the interview he recalls some of those postings, including Rwanda during the years of the genocide, and reflects on the nature of Holy See diplomacy, whose objective, he states, is not driven by economic or strategic interests, but by the defense of human dignity, religious freedom and the proclamation of the Gospel.