The Council of Europe granted observer status to the Holy See on 7 March 1970, having maintained a lesser relationship since 1962, when the Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium was given the additional title Apostolic Delegate to the Council for Cultural Cooperation of the Council of Europe. In 1970, 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 ...

established a diplomatic relationship with the European Economic Community and on 10 November appointed Archbishop Eugenio Cardinale as Nuncio to the Common Market. He was given a second charge and title as "special envoy and permanent representative to the Council of Europe, the European consultative assembly in Strasbourg". The nature and status of that position has evolved as the Vatican explored how best to manage its relationship with such international bodies and how to integrate such positions into its traditional hierarchy of representatives, delegates, and nuncios. Until 2019, Cardinale's successors representing the Holy See to the Council were not bishops, nor did they have the title nuncio or other responsibilities. Bressan in 1983 was named "Special Envoy" to the Council, and his successors were named "Special Envoy with the role of Permanent Observer" until the simpler formula was adopted in 2004: "Special Envoy, Permanent Representative". Full membership in the Council is likely precluded by the Holy See's lack of democracy and human rights guarantees. In 2007, the Holy See described its role vis-à-vis international organizations: It successfully argued that the Council’s review of observer states recognize its "special mission" and remove language that said "Its lack of democratic institutions and its position on certain human rights matters makes icit a special case". ;Permanent Observers * Eugenio Cardinale (10 November 1970 – 24 March 1983) *

Luigi Bressan Luigi Bressan (born 9 February 1940) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked from 1971 to 1999 in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and then served as Archbishop of Trento until 2016. Biography Luigi Bressan was born on 9 F ...

(12 February 1983 – 3 April 1989) *

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 ...

(14 April 1989 – 3 April 1992) *

Celestino Migliore Celestino Migliore (born 1 July 1952) is an Italian Archbishop of the Catholic Church who serves as the Apostolic Nuncio to France. He previously served as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. He has spent most of his caree ...

(14 April 1992 – 21 December 1995) *

Michael Courtney Michael Courtney (5 February 1945 – 29 December 2003) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1980 and was given the rank of archbishop and named Apostolic Nuncio to Burundi in 2000. ...

(30 December 1995 – 18 August 2000) * Paul Gallagher (18 August 2000 – 22 January 2004) *

Vito Rallo Vito Rallo (born 30 May 1953) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He served as Apostolic Nuncio to Morocco from 2015-2023 and prior to that as Apostolic Nuncio to Burkina Faso from ...

(27 January 2004 – 12 June 2007) *

Aldo Giordano Aldo Giordano (20 August 1954 – 2 December 2021) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union in 2021. He was previously Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela from 2013 to 2021 and before that the Perm ...

(7 June 2008 – 26 October 2013) *

Paolo Rudelli Paolo Rudelli (born 16 July 1970) is an Italian archbishop and diplomat of the Holy See who serves as Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe. Biography Paolo Rudelli was born on 16 July 1970 in Gazzaniga in Lombardy, Italy. He comes from Gandino in the ...

(20 September 2014. – 21 September 2019) * Marco Ganci (21 September 2019 – present)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe 1970 establishments in France Council of Europe

See also

Notes

References