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Apostolic Nunciature to the United States

Coordinates: 38°55′28″N 77°3′56″W / 38.92444°N 77.06556°W / 38.92444; -77.06556
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Apostolic Nunciature to the United States
LocationWashington, D.C. 20008
Address3339 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Coordinates38°55′28″N 77°3′56″W / 38.92444°N 77.06556°W / 38.92444; -77.06556
Apostolic NuncioArchbishop Christophe Pierre

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.[1] Since 2016 the nuncio has been is Archbishop Christophe Pierre.

The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States of America is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in the United States, with the rank of an embassy. The nuncio serves both as the ambassador of the Holy See to the President of the United States, and as delegate and point-of-contact between the Catholic hierarchy in America and the Pope (as head of the church).

The Apostolic Nunciature is an administrative center of the Catholic Church in the United States. Communications from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the various dioceses in the United States to the Holy See pass through the nunciature. The nuncio also fills a central role in the appointment of bishops in the U.S. and is the official responsible for announcing such appointments.

The physical building which houses the offices of the apostolic nuncio and his staff is also called the Nunciature to the United States of America. It is exempt from the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Washington (canon 366 1°).

History

The apostolic nunciature was established as the Delegation to the United States on January 24, 1893, with offices in Washington, D.C., led by an apostolic delegate. It was the result of an effort by the Holy See to establish communication between Pope Leo XIII and President Benjamin Harrison. An apostolic delegate is an ecclesiastical official rather than a diplomat who represents the Holy See to the Catholic Church in his host country. Because the delegate was not recognized by the U.S. government, the Holy See was not restricted in choosing its delegate and there were periods when two delegates served at the same time.

The Holy See normally names a pro-nuncio rather than a delegate in anticipation of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Diplomatic relations were established on January 10, 1984, and the delegation was elevated to the rank of nunciature. The establishment of an embassy in the city of Washington was the result of an increased friendship of Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan.[citation needed] The Holy See's representative continued to be titled pro-nuncio rather than nuncio because at the time the Vatican gave the title of nuncio only to its ambassadors who enjoyed the rank of dean of the diplomatic corps in his host country.[citation needed]

In 1990 and 1991 the Vatican quietly began to use the title of nuncio for its ambassadors who were not the deans of a country's diplomatic corps, but it retained the pro-nuncio title for all those already appointed.[a]

The current site on Massachusetts Avenue was acquired in 1931 for $223,000 and the construction of the building, a three-story complex that includes a chancery, other offices and residential quarters, was completed in 1937 at a cost of $550,000. Designed by Frederick V. Murphy, the design, based on a Roman palazzo, features ample use of limestone and Art Deco influences.[2]

The nunciature houses the staff of the Holy See's permanent observer to the Organization of American States, which is headquartered in Washington.

Representatives of the Holy See to the United States

Apostolic Delegates
Apostolic Pro-Nuncios
Apostolic Nuncios

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Since 1993 the official Vatican yearbook, the Annuario Pontificio, has included an asterisk after the title of those nuncios "che (per ora) non sono Decani del Corpo Diplomatico" – "who (for now) are not deans of the diplomatic corps."

References

  1. ^ "Embassy: Apostolic Nunciature, the Holy See". Embassy.org. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  2. ^ Murphy, Michael V.; Murphy, John C. (1994). "The Architecture of the Vatican Embassy Building Washington, D.C." U.S. Catholic Historian. 12 (2): 131–138. ISSN 0735-8318.
  3. ^ Fiske, Edward B. (1 July 1967). "Delegate to U.S. is Named by Pope". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Rinunce e Nomine, 17.12.2005" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 December 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  5. ^ Lackey, Jim (27 July 2011). "Vatican nuncio to U.S. Archbishop Sambi dies". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  6. ^ Wooden, Cindy (19 October 2011). "Pope names Archbishop Vigano new nuncio to the U.S". Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b McElwee, Joshua J. (12 April 2016). "Francis replaces Vatican ambassador Vigano days after he's lauded by US bishops". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
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