The Apostolic Nunciature to the Kingdom of Spain is an ecclesiastical office of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is a diplomatic post 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 ...

, whose representative is called the

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

with the rank of an ambassador. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries the holders of the office have gone on to become cardinals with positions in the Roman Curia.

Apostolic Nuncios since 1899

Angelo Bianchi Angelo Bianchi (19 November 1817 – 22 January 1897) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and worked in the Roman Curia. He became a cardinal in 1889. Biography Angelo Bianchi was bo ...

(30 September 1879 – 15 November 1887) *

Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (17 August 1843 – 16 December 1913) was an Italian Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the last man to have his candidacy for papal election vetoed through ''jus exclusivae'' by a Catholic monarch. Early li ...

(19 December 1882 – 2 June 1887) * Angelo Di Pietro (23 May 1887 Appointed – 28 June 1893) *

Serafino Cretoni Serafino Cretoni (4 September 1833 – 3 February 1909) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1903 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1896. Bio ...

(9 May 1893 Appointed – 19 April 1900) * Giuseppe Francica-Nava de Bontifè (25 July 1896 – 7 December 1928 died) *

Aristide Rinaldini Aristide Rinaldini (5 February 1844 – 11 February 1920) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Apostolic Nuncio to Spain from 1899 to 1907. He was made a cardinal in 1907. Biography Born in Montefalco, Aristide Ri ...

(28 December 1899 – 1907 ) *

Antonio Vico Antonio Vico may refer to: * Antonio Vico (cardinal) (1847–1929), cardinal of the Catholic Church *Antonio Vico y Pintos Antonio Vico Pinto (3 December 1840 - 8 March 1940) was a Spanish stage actor. Family provenance Antonio Vico Pinto was bor ...

(21 October 1907 – 11 February 1915) *

Francesco Ragonesi Francesco Cardinal Ragonesi S.T.D. J.U.D. (21 December 1850 – 14 September 1931) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Biography Francesco Ragonesi was born in ...

(9 February 1913 – 9 March 1926) *

Federico Tedeschini Federico Tedeschini (12 October 1873 – 2 November 1959) was an Italian cardinal of the Holy Roman Church who served as papal datary in the Roman Curia from 1938 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933 '' in pectore'' (p ...

(31 March 1921 – 25 February 1938) *

Gaetano Cicognani Gaetano Cicognani (26 November 1881 – 5 February 1962) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Apostolic Signatura from 1954 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII. To ...

(16 May 1938 – 7 December 1953) *

Ildebrando Antoniutti Ildebrando Antoniutti (3 August 1898 – 1 August 1974) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Congregation for Religious from 1963 to 1973, and was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John XXIII in 1 ...

(21 October 1953 – 26 July 1963) *

Antonio Riberi Antonio Riberi (15 June 1897 – 16 December 1967) was a Monegasque prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the fifth apostolic nuncio to Ireland and later as the nuncio to Spain from 1962 until his death. He was elevated to the cardinala ...

(28 April 1962 – 16 December 1967 ) * Luigi Dadaglio (8 July 1967 – 4 October 1980) *

Antonio Innocenti Antonio Innocenti (23 August 1915 – 6 September 2008) was an Italian cardinal who was a leading figure in the Roman Curia and the Vatican diplomatic service for many years. Biography He was born at Poppi, Italy. Ordained in 1938 at Floren ...

(4 October 1980 – 9 January 1986 ) *

Mario Tagliaferri Mario Tagliaferri (1 June 1927 – 21 May 1999) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1970 and served as an Apostolic Nuncio from then until his dea ...

(20 Julie 1985 – 13 July 1995) *

Lajos Kada Lajos Kada (16 November 1924 – 26 November 2001) was a Hungarian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent most of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, serving also in the Roman Curia. Biography Lajos Kada was born in Budapest, H ...

(22 September 1995 – 1 March 2000 ) *

Manuel Monteiro de Castro Manuel Monteiro de Castro (born 29 March 1938) is a Portuguese prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1967 to 2009, with the rank of archbishop and the title of nuncio from 1985. His assignments a ...

(1 March 2000 – 3 July 2009) *

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 ...

(20 August 2009 – 4 July 2019) *

Bernardito Auza Bernardito Cleopas Auza is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the current Apostolic Nuncio to Spain, appointed to that position on 01 October 2019. Prior to this, he served under the diplomatic service of the Holy See, as well as ...

(1 October 2019 – present)

References

External links

* * {{Authority control