Apostolic Nunciature to Germany
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Apostolic Nunciature
An Apostolic Nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See, equivalent to an embassy.The head of the Apostolic Nunciature is called nuncio. A nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin nuntius, meaning messenger...
to Germany is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
ic post of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
to Germany with the rank of an ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
. The office of the nunciature has been located in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
since 1925, in personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
with the new Apostolic Nuncio to Prussia until 1934. Between 1920 and 1925 the nunciature was held in personal union by the Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria
Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria
The Apostolic Nunciature to Bavaria was an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria. It was a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative was called the Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria, a state – consecutively during the nunciature's existence – of the Holy Roman Empire,...
, seated in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. With the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945 the diplomatic ties were interrupted and reestablished for West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
only in 1951, then in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. In 2001 the nunciature moved again to Berlin.
The three Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
s, once serving as nuncios in what is today's Germany, were Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from 7 April 1655, until his death.- Early life :Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi and a great-nephew of Pope Paul V , he was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from...
, Leo XII
Pope Leo XII
Pope Leo XII , born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiore Girolamo Nicola Sermattei della Genga, was Pope from 1823 to 1829.-Life:...
and Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. The current Apostolic Nuncio to Germany is His Excellency
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.Usually, people styled "Excellency" are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank .It is...
Jean-Claude Périsset, who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
on October 15, 2007.
To the Holy Roman Empire
The first nuncio in the territory of modern-day Germany was Lorenzo Campeggio in 1511, as the nuncio and cardinal protectorCardinal protector
Since the thirteenth century it has been customary at Rome to confide to some particular Cardinal a special solicitude in the Roman Curia for the interests of a given religious order or institute, confraternity, church, college, city, nation etcetera. Such a person is known as a Cardinal Protector...
to the Imperial Court. His role was ratified in 1513 by Leo X, the new pope. The nunciature became permanently accredited in 1530, whereafter the nuncios often followed Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
even when he left Imperial territory.
- Lorenzo Campeggio (1511–1539)
- Karl von MiltitzKarl von MiltitzKarl von Miltitz was a papal nuncio and a Mainz Cathedral canon.-Biography:He was born in Rabenau near Meißen and Dresden, his family stemming from the lesser Saxon nobility. He studied at Mainz, Trier, Cologne , and Bologna , but his deficient Latin reveals that he was not especially learned...
, Nuncio to SaxonyElectorate of SaxonyThe Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
in 1518, envoy to prompt LutherMartin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's revocation of his theses, and Saxony to give up protecting Luther
- Karl von Miltitz
In Cologne
The Cologne nunciature was erected in 1584 for the northwest of the Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and the Rhineland. The Nuncios to Cologne were accredited to the Achbishop-Electorates of Cologne, Mainz and Trier. In 1596, the Low Countries (Netherlands)
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
were detached from the nunciature of Cologne, receiving their own nuncio in Brussels.
- Giovanni Francesco Bonomi (= Bonhomini; 1584–1587), Bishop of VercelliVercelliVercelli is a city and comune of about 47,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around the year 600 BC.The city is situated on the river Sesia in the plain of the river...
- Ottavio Mirto Frangipani (1587–1596), Bishop of Cajazzo, 1592 Bishop of TricaricoTricaricoTricarico is a town and comune in the province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy.It is home to one of the best preserved medieval historical centres in Lucania.-Origins:The origin of Tricarico is presently unknown...
- Cesare Speciano (1592/96–1598)
- Coriolano Garzadoro (1593/98–1606), Bishop of Ossero
- Attilio Amalteo (1606–1610)
- Pier Luigi CarafaPier Luigi CarafaPier Luigi Carafa was a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and a member of the Roman Curia.He was bishop of Tricarico and nuntius of Cologne....
(1624–1634) - Ciriaco RocciCiriaco RocciCiriaco Rocci was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and papal nuncio to Switzerland, Austria and Cologne.Rocci was born in 1581 in Rome and studied literature before entering the service of the church....
(1630–1634) - Fabio ChigiPope Alexander VIIPope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from 7 April 1655, until his death.- Early life :Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi and a great-nephew of Pope Paul V , he was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from...
, future Pope Alexander VII (1639–1651) - Francesco Buonvisi (1670–1672)
- Opizio Pallavicini (1672–1680)
- Sebastiano Tanara (1687–1690)
- Gianantonio Davia (1690–1696)
- Fabrizio PaolucciFabrizio PaolucciFabrizio Paolucci was a Italian cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, appointed by Pope Innocent XII.-Biography:He went to Rome at the age of eight, 1659, to be educated by his grand-uncle, Francesco Paolucci...
(1696–1700) - Giulio Piazza (1702–1706)
- Giovanni Caprara MontecuccoliGiovanni Battista CapraraGiovanni Battista Caprara was an Italian statesman and cardinal, legate of Pius VII in France,concluded the Concordat of 1801.-Life:...
(1766–1775) - Carlo Bellisomi (1775–1785)
- Bartolomeo Pacca (1786–1794)
- Annibale della GengaPope Leo XIIPope Leo XII , born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiore Girolamo Nicola Sermattei della Genga, was Pope from 1823 to 1829.-Life:...
, last nuncio to Cologne and future Pope Leo XII (1794–1804)
- Became the Apostolic Nunciature to Austria
In Berlin
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
and the Holy See concluded diplomatic ties on 1 May 1920. Abp Eugenio Pacelli, Nuncio to Bavaria
Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria
The Apostolic Nunciature to Bavaria was an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria. It was a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative was called the Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria, a state – consecutively during the nunciature's existence – of the Holy Roman Empire,...
, was appointed in personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
"Nuncio to Germany". As with Bavaria, diplomatic relations were also established with the most important state of Germany, Prussia, in 1925, on which occasion Pacelli gave up the Bavarian nunciature and was appointed Nuncio to Prussia in personal union with the nunciature to Germany, and moved to Berlin the same year. Until the dissolution of the German federal states in May 1934, Pacelli remained also Nuncio to Prussia by a separate title. The relations with Bavaria remained fully intact with Pacelli's successor Nuncio Abp Alberto Vassallo-Torregrossa, whose ambassadorial rank fell also away in 1934 together with the existence of Bavaria as an entity of statehood; he was however able to more or less continue affairs until he left the country in 1936 at the insistence of the Nazi regime.
- 1920–1930: Eugenio PacelliPope Pius XIIThe Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
(future Pope Pius XII), nuncio to Germany, in personal union nuncio to Bavaria (1917–1925) and nuncio to Prussia (1925–1930) - 1930–1945: Cesare OrsenigoCesare OrsenigoCesare Vincenzo Orsenigo was Apostolic Nuncio to Germany from 1930 to 1945, during the rise of Nazi Germany and World War II...
, in personal union nuncio to Prussia (1930–1934), since 1944 in PrötzelPrötzelPrötzel is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany.-External links:...
, and January 1945 in EichstättEichstättEichstätt is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the District of Eichstätt. It is located along the Altmühl River, at , and had a population of 13,078 in 2002. It is home to the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the lone Catholic university in Germany. The...
, where he died in 1946 - 1945–1951: vacancy, no nuncio to Allied-occupied Germany
- 1946–1951: Aloisius Joseph MuenchAloisius Joseph MuenchAloisius Joseph Muench was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fargo from 1935 to 1959, and as Apostolic Nuncio to Germany from 1951 to 1959...
as apostolic visitorApostolic visitorIn the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration...
, in personal union military vicar delegate of the United States armed forces, becoming nuncio in Bonn in 1951.
- 1946–1951: Aloisius Joseph Muench
In Bonn for the Federal Republic of Germany only
With West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, gaining quasi-sovereignty in 1951, the ties with the Holy See are upgraded again to nunciature level. The East German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
had not diplomatic ties with the Vatican.
- 1951–1959: Aloisius Joseph MuenchAloisius Joseph MuenchAloisius Joseph Muench was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fargo from 1935 to 1959, and as Apostolic Nuncio to Germany from 1951 to 1959...
- 1960–1975: Corrado Bafile
- 1975–1984: Guido Del Mestri
- 1984–1991: Giuseppe Uhac, since 1990 also competent for the New states of Germany
- 1991–1995: Lajos Kada
- 1995–2003: Giovanni LajoloGiovanni LajoloGiovanni Lajolo is the Cardinal emeritus President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and emeritus President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.-Early life and ordination:...
, until 2001 in Bonn
In Berlin since 2001
- 1995–2003: Giovanni LajoloGiovanni LajoloGiovanni Lajolo is the Cardinal emeritus President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and emeritus President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.-Early life and ordination:...
, moved to Berlin in 2001, as did the Federal Government - 2003–2007: Erwin Ender
- 2007–present: Jean-Claude Périsset