The Apostolic Nunciature to Nigeria is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, with the rank of an ambassador. The nuncio serves both as the ambassador of the Holy See to the Republic of Nigeria and as the point-of-contact between the Catholic hierarchy in Nigeria and the pope. In May 1960, the Holy See established the Delegation to West Central Africa to represent its interests in that region. It was given responsibility for Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon,

Oubangui-Chari Ubangi-Shari (french: Oubangui-Chari) was a French colony in central Africa, a part of French Equatorial Africa. It was named after the Ubangi and Chari rivers along which it was colonised. It was established on 29 December 1903, from the ...

(Central African Republic), and Chad. After further reorganizations of its offices for the emerging independent nations of Africa, the

created the Delegation to Nigeria and Ghana–a single office–in May 1973. Separate nunciatures for Ghana and Nigeria were erected on 29 April 1976.

List of papal representatives to Nigeria

;Apostolic Delegates to Central Western Africa *

Sergio Pignedoli Sergio Pignedoli (4 June 1910 – 15 June 1980) was a prominent Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a top candidate for pope. He served as auxiliary bishop to Pope Paul VI when he was archbishop of Milan, and as President of the ...

(23 September 1960 – 1 June 1964) *

Luigi Bellotti Luigi Bellotti (17 March 1914 – 23 September 1995) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He was made an archbishop in 1964 and led diplomatic missions first in Africa and l ...

(18 July 1964 – 27 November 1969) * Amelio Poggi (27 November 1969 – 26 September 1973) ;Apostolic Delegates to Nigeria and Ghana *

Girolamo Prigione Girolamo Prigione (12 October 1921 – 27 May 2016) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1951 to 1997. He became an archbishop in 1968 and from then until retirement held pos ...

(2 October 1973 – 7 February 1978) **Nunciature to Nigeria established 29 April 1976 **Prigione named Pro-Nuncio to Nigeria 29 April 1976 ;Apostolic Pro-Nuncios to Nigeria *

Carlo Curis Carlo Curis (2 November 1923 – 29 September 2014) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. Biography Curis was born in La Maddalena, Italy, and ordained priest on 13 July 1947. Curis was appointed Titular Archbishop of Medeli as well a ...

(13 March 1978 – 4 February 1984) *

Paul Fouad Naïm Tabet Paul Fouad Tabet (28 November 1929 – 20 July 2009) was a Lebanese-born Catholic prelate of the Maronite Church, who spent many years in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1980 and from 1980 to 2005 served as a ...

(8 September 1984 – 14 December 1991) *

Carlo Maria Viganò Carlo Maria Viganò (; born 16 January 1941) is an archbishop of the Catholic Church who served as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States from 19 October 2011 to 12 April 2016. He previously served as Secretary-General of the Governorate of Va ...

(3 April 1992 – 4 April 1998) ;Apostolic Nuncios *

Osvaldo Padilla Osvaldo Montecillo Padilla (born 15 August 1942) is a Philippine prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1991 and the position of Apostolic Nuncio to several count ...

(22 August 1998 – 31 July 2003) *

Renzo Fratini Renzo Fratini (born 25 April 1944) is an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and diplomat of the Holy See. He became an apostolic nuncio in 1998 and ended his career as nuncio to Spain. As he resigned in 2019, the Holy See distanced itse ...

(27 January 2004 – 20 August 2009) * Augustine Kasujja (2 February 2010 – 12 October 2016) *

Antonio Guido Filipazzi Antonio Guido Filipazzi (born 8 October 1963) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1992. He has been Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria since 2017 and before that was Nuncio to In ...

(26 April 2017 – present)

References

{{Diplomatic missions in Nigeria

Holy See–Nigeria relations