Apostolic Nuncios, the papal ‘ambassadors’, come under the spotlight

The Vatican has established a study group that will evaluate the role and function of Apostolic Nuncios, the papal representatives of the Church operating around the world and usually serving as the Vatican’s ambassador to a particular country.

Apostolic Nuncios currently serve two functions – they are ambassadors of the Holy See to the national government where they serve and also act as a representative of the Pope to the local Church, helping in the appointment of bishops.

The study group will make suggestions aiming to improve the current functioning of Apostolic Nuncios, so that they become more missionary and synodal. It follows Pope Francis “insisting” on a dual role that primarily serves local bishops and secondly involves serving as ambassadors to a country.

“The Holy Father is insisting now that the work with the local Church and bishops is more important,” Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay in India, who has been appointed coordinator of the Apostolic Nuncios study group, told Crux. “Missionary in the sense…to encourage the bishops, to help them and see how the Church’s mission can be furthered.”

Officials from the Secretariat of State, the Dicastery for Bishops and the Dicastery for the Evangelisation of Peoples will be involved in the study. Pope Francis identified several items that needed specialised study after the October 2023 Session of the Synod on Synodality – Apostolic Nuncios being one of them.

Gracias said that the current concern is that Nuncios can become too bureaucratic when serving as ambassadors.

He explained: “That was the big focus in the beginning. The Pope is trying to shift this focus back and making them think of their role as also helping the local bishops. In the end, considering synodality, they should not be totally independent.”

To that point, he highlighted how questions have been raised about the need for more “accountability for them also”, and which goes beyond how “now they represent only” the Holy Father.

Gracias added: “In several meetings and also to the Holy Father, I have said that there should be much more collaboration with the Nuncios and the [local] Conference [of bishops]. That will help the local Church. The Nuncios come from outside and don’t know the local culture.”

As an example, he highlighted how in India there is the caste issue: the Hindu practice of forming rigid social groups, which affects all of society, including non-Hindu religions.

“A Nuncio from outside would never [understand] this. The local bishops know about this and sometimes in the feedback that they give about candidates, caste sometimes comes into play. The Nuncio would never imagine this,” the cardinal said, adding:

“That is the necessity for the Synodal view that they should not be independent of the local Church.”

Gracias said there is also another group studying the Apostolic Nuncio’s role in the appointment of bishops.

“That will also discuss how the Nuncio appoints the Bishop, etc. So we will work together with them,” he said.

Among the members of the Study Group is Cardinal Mario Grech, head of the Synod Secretariat; Archbishop Luciano Russo, Secretary for Papal Representatives; Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, President of the Pontifical Academy for the formation of diplomatic personnel of the Holy See.

This study group has already begun its work with several meetings in Rome with Officials of Secretariat of State and Presidents of Episcopal Conferences from different continents.

The work of this group is hoped to be completed by June 2025.

Photo: King Charles III receives the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia as he present his Credentials during a private audience at Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom, 18 May 2024. (Photo by Victoria Jones – Pool/Getty Images.)

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