Letter from Joseph P. Walshe to Charles Bewley (Rome)
(E.A. 5./1929)

Your report, dated 21st September,¹ reached here this morning. As you have discussed the whole matter of your report with the Minister in Geneva and received instructions from him, there is no need to discuss the question of the Apostolic delegate in this note. However the view expressed here will interest you and perhaps be of some help. The general feeling in the Government is that from the point of view of the Bishops the Apostolic Delegate would be a much greater inconvenience than the Nuncio. The former would be their direct superior sent for purely ecclesiastical purposes, and apparently with undefined powers: the latter, on the other hand, would not interfere unless appealed to. A confidential opinion from Dr. O'Gorman on the duties of an apostolic delegate would be useful. Could it be said, for instance, that an Apostolic Delegate is only sent to those countries in which the organisation of the Church is incomplete? If these things can be said with truth about the Apostolic Delegate, it seems that we shall have to look elsewhere than to the Irish College for the influences which brought about the change in the attitude of the Holy See. We cannot forget that the British adhered with a curious rigidity to their purely passive attitude during all the earlier negotiations. Could they have now abandoned their neutrality and expressed themselves opposed to our view? From our experience so far we could be almost certain that if they declared themselves positively in favour of the Dublin appointment the difficulties experienced by the Vatican would disappear very quickly.

The announcement in the 'Osservatore' of the 11th May practically constitutes a formal agreement to exchange legations. The Cardinal said to me more than once when I was urging definite action 'Vous avez l'avis dans l'Osservatore'. I shall, of course, write to you again when I have seen the Minister on Monday.

We have adopted the continental and American system of omitting all forms at the beginning and end of our communications. Will you please act accordingly.