Leopoldo Girelli (born 13 March 1953) is an Italian prelate 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 ...

who serves as the apostolic nuncio to India and to Nepal. He was nuncio to Israel and to Cyprus as well as apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine from 2017 to 2021. He has worked in the diplomatic service 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 R ...

since 1987 and previously served as nuncio to Indonesia, East Timor and Singapore.

Biography

Girelli was born in

Predore Predore (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about east of Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,837 and an area o ...

, Province of Bergamo,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, on 13 March 1953. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

a priest on 17 June 1978 and incardinated in the diocese of Bergamo. He graduated in theology. To prepare for the diplomatic service, he completed the course of study at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1984. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 13 July 1987 and worked in the papal diplomatic missions in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and at the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, and finally in the

Apostolic Nunciature to the United States The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the United States. It is located at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Embassy Row neighborhood. Since 2016 the nuncio has been ...

where he held the rank of Counsellor. On 13 April 2006

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

appointed him apostolic nuncio to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Capreae. He was consecrated bishop on 17 June, with Cardinal Angelo Sodano as principal consecrator. On 10 October 2006 he was appointed apostolic nuncio to East Timor in addition to his duties as nuncio to Indonesia. On 13 January 2011 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore, Apostolic Delegate to Malaysia and to

Brunei Darussalam Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by the ...

, and non-residential papal representative for Vietnam. He was the first papal representative appointed for Vietnam since the expulsion of the resident Apostolic Delegate in 1975. On 18 June 2011 Girelli was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); he was the first to hold that title. On 16 January 2013, he was replaced as representative to Malaysia, Brunei and East Timor, while continuing in his posts in Singapore, Vietnam, and the ASEAN. On 13 September 2017, Pope Francis appointed Girelli Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine. Two days later, Girelli was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Cyprus. Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to India on 13 March 2021 and added the title of Apostolic Nuncio to Nepal on 13 September of that year.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Girelli, Leopoldo 1953 births 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops Apostolic Nuncios to Indonesia Apostolic Nuncios to East Timor Apostolic Nuncios to Malaysia Apostolic Nuncios to Singapore Apostolic Nuncios to Israel Apostolic Nuncios to Cyprus Apostolic Nuncios to India Apostolic Nuncios to Nepal Apostolic Nuncios to ASEAN Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Living people Diplomats of the Holy See

Biography

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