Apostolic Nunciature to India
The Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to India is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to India, similar to an embassy. It is located at 50-C, Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio was named Apostolic Nuncio by Pope Benedict XVI on 8 May 2010. Currently it is vacant. As he appointed as the new apostolic nunciature to Poland.
The Apostolic Nunciature to India is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in India, with the rank of ambassador. The nuncio serves both as the ambassador of the Pope (as head of State of Vatican City) to the President of India, and as delegate and point-of-contact between the Catholic hierarchy in India and the Pope (as head of the church). The Apostolic Nuncio to India is also the Apostolic Nuncio to Nepal.
History
The diplomatic mission was established as the Apostolic Delegation to the East Indies in 1881, and included Ceylon, and was extended to Malaca in 1889, and then to Burma in 1920, and eventually included Goa in 1923. It was raised to an Internunciature by Pope Pius XII on 12 June 1948 and to a full Apostolic Nunciature by Pope Paul VI on 22 August 1967. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) was detached in 1967, and Burma (now Myanmar) in 1973 (Malaca, as part of modern Malaysia, being detached in 1957).
List of Papal representatives
The following have been Papal representatives to India:
Apostolic Delegates
- Antonio Agliardi (23 Sep 1884 Appointed – 9 May 1887 Appointed, Pro-Secretary of the Roman Curia)
- Andrea Aiuti (later Cardinal) (31 Mar 1887 Appointed – 24 Jul 1891 Appointed, Secretary of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith)
- Wladyslaw Michal Zaleski (15 Mar 1892 Appointed – 7 Dec 1916 Appointed, Titular Patriarch of Antioch)
- Pietro Fumasoni Biondi (later Cardinal) (15 Nov 1916 Appointed – 6 Dec 1919 Appointed, Apostolic Delegate to Japan)
- Pietro Pisani (15 Dec 1919 Appointed – 1924 Appointed, Official of the Roman Curia)
- Edward Aloysius Mooney (later Cardinal) (18 Jan 1926 Appointed – 30 Mar 1931 Appointed, Apostolic Delegate to Japan)
- Leo Peter Kierkels, CP (23 Mar 1931 Appointed – 12 Jun 1967)
Apostolic Internuncios
- Leo Peter Kierkels, CP (12 Jun 1967 – 29 Jun 1952 Resigned)
- Martin Lucas, SVD (3 Dec 1952 Appointed – 1956 Appointed, Official of the Secretariat of State)
- James Robert Knox (later Cardinal) (14 Feb 1957 Appointed – 13 Apr 1967 Appointed, Archbishop of Melbourne)
Apostolic Pro-Nuncios
- Giuseppe Caprio (later Cardinal) (22 Aug 1967 Appointed – 19 Apr 1969 Appointed, Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See)
- Marie-Joseph Lemieux, OP (30 May 1969 Appointed – 16 Feb 1971 Resigned)
- John Gordon (11 Aug 1971 Appointed – 11 Jun 1976 Appointed, Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Netherlands)
- Luciano Storero (14 Jul 1976 Appointed – 2 Feb 1981 Appointed, Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela)
- Agostino Cacciavillan (later Cardinal) (9 May 1981 Appointed – 13 Jun 1990 Appointed, Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States)
- Giorgio Zur (13 Aug 1990 Appointed – 7 Dec 1998 Appointed, President of Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy)
Apostolic Nuncios
- Lorenzo Baldisseri (later Cardinal) (19 Jun 1999 Appointed – 12 Nov 2002 Appointed, Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil)
- Pedro López Quintana (8 Feb 2003 Appointed – 10 Dec 2009 Appointed, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada)
- Salvatore Pennacchio (8 May 2010 Appointed – 6 Aug 2016 Appointed, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland)