Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain visits Caritas Salford
We were proud to welcome a very special visitor to Caritas Salford last week.
His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, came to our charity to find out more about our work supporting people experiencing poverty, homelessness, discrimination and isolation across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
As Pope Francis’s representative to the UK, the Apostolic Nuncio’s role is equivalent to that of an ambassador, as well as serving as a liaison between the Vatican and the Church. Our teams were thrilled to welcome him to a few of our services and introduce him to our work.
The visit included a trip to our Lalley Centre, Community Pantry and Allotment in Collyhurst, and to our Caritas House building in the city centre too.
Patrick O’Dowd, our director, said: “It was a real privilege to be able to introduce the Apostolic Nuncio to Caritas and talk to him more about the challenges that are impacting people in our local communities.
“He was extremely interested to hear about the pressures people from across Greater Manchester and Lancashire are facing at the moment and how Caritas Salford is responding.
“Due to the cost-of-living crisis, we are seeing demand for our services increase significantly as more and more people find themselves having to make difficult decisions around how they can spend the limited money they have. Hardworking families needing to choose between eating three meals a day or warming their home in the winter months isn’t something that should be happening in 2023 and we really appreciated the Apostolic Nuncio taking the time to understand the issues people are facing and to discuss ways to support them too.
“He was particularly interested to hear our ongoing work of supporting people experiencing homelessness as well as how we seek to welcome, protect and integrate those displaced by conflict and seeking sanctuary in the communities of the North West.”
The visit to Caritas came as part of a wider visit to the area, including other parts of the Diocese of Salford, the Laudato Si Centre and the Nuncio also celebrated Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Collyhurst.
