Two Balliol graduates at the heart of a Foreign Office scandal which threatens a deep diplomatic rift in Papal relations have been let off with a slap on the wrist.
The circulation of a dossier entitled “The ideal visit would see…” included proposals that Pope Benedict launch his own brand of “Benedict’ condoms”, open an abortion clinic and bless civil partnership.
The memo also recommended that the Pope could apologise for the Spanish Armada, and join the Queen in singing a duet for charity. It was proposed that the national anthem should be changed to God Save the World.
Such was the offence caused by this incident that it led senior officials in Rome to consider cancelling a trip to the UK scheduled for September.
Anjoum Noorani headed up the team of civil servants who fielded these suggestions. The proposals were then circulated around Whitehall by Steven Mulvain, a junior administrative assistant.
Both Noorani and Mulvain studied at Balliol. Noorani was JCR Vice President and graduated with a first in PPE in 2000. Mulvain graduated in 2008 with a 2:2 in English.
Mulvain wrote a covering letter for the document, which warned that the “contents should not be shared externally” because they included “even the most far-fetched of ideas.”
In a section entitled “Climate Change”, one proposal of the dossier reads, “‘God will make trees fall on illegal loggers.'”
These recommendations are reported to have been the result of a “brainstorming” session involving Noorani and three other civil servants.
Senior officials in Rome were particularly outraged as the Foreign Office decided not to sack anyone in connection with the affair. Noorani has now been taken off the taskforce planning for Benedict’s trip.
Mr Mulvain escaped punishment because he was given authorisation to send the memo by a more senior civil servant, who has now been “transferred to other duties”.
Jim Murphy, who is leading the preparations for the Pope’s tour to Britain, described the suggestions as “absolutely despicable” and “vile”. David Miliband, Foreign Secretary, is said to have been “appalled” to hear of the paper.
Cardinal Renato Martino, the former head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said, “The British government has invited the Pope as its guest and he should be treated with respect. To make a mockery of his beliefs and the beliefs of millions of Catholics not just in Britain but across the world is very offensive indeed.”
Will Jones, who knew Mulvain from Balliol, told Cherwell, “The ‘prankster’ reputation is all Daily Mail guff, I think. He seemed a sensible, quiet guy. Not quite the ‘wild rebel’ the press hysteria paints him as.”
One undergraduate at St Hugh’s decried the story as “symptomatic of some of the idiocy Oxford’s ‘banter culture’ fosters.
“Friends of mine said they guessed it was a former Oxford student who’d written it almost immediately – we’re the only people who’d think it was a good idea”.
A Balliol undergraduate said, “Though I find the Catholic stance on issues raised here that have had fun poked at them abhorrent and out-dated, it all seems rather juvenile.
“Of course the obviously childish and light hearted nature of the memo should negate the seriousness with which the issue is being viewed. But it is as ill-informed as the stances it criticizes.”
