NUNCIO to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, recently visited Luton, which is part of Luton and Dunstable Deanery of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton.

Explaining Nuncio’s role, Monsignor Kevin McGinnell VF of Holy Ghost Catholic Parish said Nuncio is a Vatican representative, accredited as an ambassador that maintains official diplomatic relations, promotes good relations between the government and the government of the Roman Catholic Church led by the Pope. Nuncio observes and reports to the Pope on the life of the Roman Catholic Church in the region.

The Mayor, Cllr Mohammed Yaqub Hanif warmly welcomed the Nuncio to Luton.

Several other faith and community representatives gave brief presentations on the work undertaken by them in the super-diverse town of Luton. It included the Chairs of the Luton Council of Faiths, Churches Together in Luton, and the CEOs of Noah, Chums, Luton Irish Form, and Grassroots.

Representatives from the Luton Deans Group, Cardinal Newman School, Kenyan Catholic Women's Association, and the DHS (Daughters of the Holy Spirit) as deanery religious were also present.

Archbishop Miguel presented himself as being the eyes and ears of the Pope. He showed keen interest in listening to people’s hopes and aspirations for a better world and understood the life and engagement of the Catholic Church and Faith in the town. He also visited Asylum Seekers & Refugee Support Project at All Saints Anglican Church and Central Mosque.

Born in Madrid, Archbishop Miguel has served in Pope’s diplomatic missions in several countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Morocco, Nicaragua, Egypt, Slovenia, and Ireland. He also served as Apostolic Nuncio to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Romania & Moldova.

Acknowledging his extensive experience, the Chair of the Luton Council of Faiths, Prof Zafar Khan invited the Archbishop to visit Luton again. He commended the Pope and the Catholic Church for demonstrating their solidarity in the face of any attack or assault on a religious group.

Applauding Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si on caring for our common home — planet Earth, Sr Maire Hayes presented Archbishop with a book by Luton author Jeremy Williams – Climate Change Is Racist: Race, Privilege and the Struggle for Climate Justice.

Archbishop Miguel responded saying we must respect and love one another and in doing so, we must together become a beacon of hope for justice, peace, and reconciliation in our world.

NUNCIO to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía visited Luton