Emma Madigan (born 6 July 1973) is an Irish diplomat and was the former Ambassador of Republic of Ireland to the Holy See, the first woman ever to hold the position.
[2][6] Madigan described her welcome as "a great experience": "I was received very warmly by Pope Francis although the ceremony itself around the credentials was formal, the discussion itself was informal and it was a very relaxed conversation."
"[citation needed] Ambassador Madigan said Pope Francis "responded very well to the updates I was giving him and expressed very warm interest in our development program, which perhaps in many ways chimes with his own messages in ensuring that the vulnerable and marginalized are not left behind.
Madigan was received in audience on 6 September 2018 to present her Letters of Recall and the end of her mission pending the placet for the new Irish ambassador to the Holy See, Derek Hannon.
The Pope visited Áras an Uachtaráin, where he met with President Michael D. Higgins, his wife Sabina Higgins, government minister Katherine Zappone, Ambassador of Ireland to the Holy See Emma Madigan, the Catholic Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, the Secretary of State of the Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Syrian asylum seekers, amongst others.
While publicly presented as a cost saving measure, it was widely recognized as a "rebuke to the Vatican over Church mishandling of allegations of clerical abuse.