Queen Elizabeth pays tribute to English seminary in Rome

December 05, 2012

Queen Elizabeth II has paid tribute to relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the founding of the Venerable English College in Rome.

“In 1362, English residents in Rome established a ‘Hospice of the English’ to care for English pilgrims,” she said in her message for the occasion. “The royal arms of King Henry IV still adorn your walls to mark the 50th anniversary of that foundation and the close relationship with the Crown. The English Hospice was the origin of what has now become the Venerable English College, following its re-foundation by Pope Gregory XIII in 1579.”

“The presence of the Duke of Gloucester at your Martyrs' Day Feast in this 650th anniversary year is a sign of the strength of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Holy See,” she added. “It is also recognition of the high esteem in which the Venerable English College is held as a training ground for pastors, priests and future leaders of the Catholic Church of England and Wales.”

 

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Further information:

• The strength of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Holy See (L’Osservatore Romano)
• Pope exhorts English seminarians to stir up new faith (CWN, 12/3)