Vatican Radio: British Minister Baroness Warsi says Pope’s simplicity resonates with people

British Minister for Faith and Communities Baroness Warsi says Pope Francis’ simplicity resonates with people, especially during the current global financial crisis. The Baroness was part of the official UK government delegation that attended the Pope’s inauguration Mass and spoke afterwards to Vatican Radio’s Susy Hodges about her impressions. The Baroness described the inauguration Mass as a “moving ceremony”, saying “it felt so personal and intimate, despite the importance of the occasion. She also said that as a non-Christian, it was “fascinating” for her to see “so many people of different faiths” attending the Mass.Asked for her impressions about Pope Francis’ pontificate so far, Baroness Warsi singled out “his concept of humility, of simplicity and of going back to values” saying she believes in this time of financial crisis, this concept “resonates with peoples’ lives right now.”

Baroness Warsi also spoke very warmly about the current relationship between Britain and the Holy See, saying in her view it is “the strongest it’s been for a very, very long time.”

Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi PC is a British solicitor and politician of Pakistani origin who was created a life peer in 2007. From May 2010 to September 2012 she was the Co-Chairman, along with Lord Feldman, of the Conservative Party, and a Minister without Portfolio in David Cameron’s Cabinet. She was the third Muslim minister and the first female Muslim to serve as a minister in the United Kingdom, although she never won an election. On 4 September 2012, she was appointed Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Minister for Faith and Communities.