Scottish Catholic Observer

Mgr Charles Burns OBE of Paisley Diocese, the Ecclesiastical advisor to the British Embassy to the Holy See, has been installed as a canon of the Papal Basilica of St Peter in the Vatican.

This honour, a first for a Scottish priest, was bestowed on Sunday by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the Archpriest of St Peter’s, in recognition of Mgr Burns’ long years of service to the Vatican. The SCO report the announcement of the honour last year.

Mgr Burns, who was joined by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, senior Scottish Vatican diplomat Mgr Leo Cushley, the British Ambassador to the Holy See Nigel Baker and the rector and students of the Scots College in Rome for vespers and a celebratory reception, said he was profoundly touched by the honour.

“I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for this exceptional gesture of benevolence,” he said. “I will participate with great pleasure in the liturgy at St Peter’s.”

Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, who was a contemporary of Mgr Burns at Blairs Seminary, sent hearty congratulations to his old friend.

“I am delighted for Mgr Burns,” he said. “I have known him since boyhood when we were at Blairs together. We both shared an interest in art and music, and both of us lost our fathers when we were quite young and so that was another bond.”

The archbishop went on to say that the Vatican honour was a particularly appropriate one for Mgr Burns.

“The nomination as a canon of St Peter’s could not be more fitting for a man who has dedicated his life to the service of the Church and the Holy Father as archivist in what was known as the Vatican Secret Archive,” he said. “Many generations of English-speaking historians whom he loved to help, and many generations of students of Church diplomacy who benefited from his classes at the Accademia will share my joy at his nomination.  Knowing him as I do, this will mean more to him than simply the title which it confers. He will relish the opportunity to be present and take part in the offices sung in the Basilica of St Peter, a building which he, as a historian, knows and loves so well.”

Ambassador Baker said it was a great honour for a worthy recipient. “I am delighted to learn of this signal honour paid to Mgr Burns by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI,” he said. “Mgr Burns has long served the Holy See in many different capacities. This appointment is due and well-merited recognition of a lifetime of exceptional service. We are extremely fortunate at the British Embassy to the Holy See to continue to be able to count on Mgr Burns’ great experience and knowledge in his role as Ecclesiastical Adviser to the Embassy.

“His advice has been invaluable to me and my immediate predecessors, and it is wonderful to see such a distinguished colleague and friend to this embassy honoured in this way.”

Mgr Burns, who was ordained a priest for Paisley Diocese,  has worked for 35 years at the Vatican Secret Archives and was also professor of the History of Papal Diplomacy at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Holy See’s diplomatic academy, for nearly 25 years.

Mgr Burns was the first to be named Ecclesiastical Advisor to the British Embassy to the Holy See and he has held this honorary position since October 2003.

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