Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

This is a relationship between states. The meeting with the Secretary General was at the request of the papal nuncio and was clearly in his capacity as representative of the state of the Vatican. At the time, I was in Athens at the OSCE meeting. The request for a meeting with me was in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs. I take the point made by the Deputy that the papal nuncio has a dual role but, in essence, he is the representative of a state. The practice whereby the papal nuncio is dean of the diplomatic corps is not the core of the issue.

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