Frank De Coninck (11 February 1945 – 11 March 2022) was a Belgian diplomat, who served as the ambassador to the Holy See from 26 October 2006 until his retirement in February 2010. Before this he was ''Marshal of the Royal Household'' of the Royal Court of Belgium (2002–2006).

Early life and education

De Coninck was born in

Blankenberge Blankenberge (; french: Blankenberghe; vls, Blanknberge) is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Blankenberge proper and the settlement of Uitkerke. On 1 December 2014, Bla ...

on 11 February 1945. He graduated in history at the University of Ghent (1968).

Career

From 1968 till 1975 De Coninck was a teacher of history in Congo. He started a career in Belgian diplomacy in 1975 and has been assigned from 1976 till 2000 to diplomatic posts in Barcelona, Nairobi, Islamabad, Rome (the Vatican), Dakar, The Hague, and both

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

and

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

as ambassador. His last duty before he became Marshal of the Royal Household was at the Central Administration of the Belgian Foreign Ministry, where he was appointed special envoy for the Great Lakes (Central Africa). As Marshal of the Royal Household he was also head of the management council of the Royal Trust. He was president o
Caritas International Belgium
and Cercle Royal Africain et de l’Outre Mer.

Personal life

De Coninck died in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert on 11 March 2022, at the age of 77.

Honours

* Grand Cross of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

of Belgium, by Royal Decree. * Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Belgium, by Royal Decree of 19 December 2001. * Knight of Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX of the Vatican or the Holy See * Knight of Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic of Italy, Decree of 14 October 2002.

References

Sources

Belgium's new Ambassadors abroad
1945 births 2022 deaths Belgian diplomats Ambassadors of Belgium to the Holy See Ambassadors of Belgium to Rwanda Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX Ambassadors of Belgium to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Recipients of the Order for Merits to Lithuania Flemish people {{Belgium-bio-stub