Antonio Sozzo

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Antonio Sozzo
Apostolic Nuncio emeritus of Morocco
Titular Archbishop of Concordia
Appointed17 July 2003
Retired16 September 2015
PredecessorDomenico De Luca
SuccessorVito Rallo
Other post(s)Titular Archbishop of Concordia
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination28 August 1971
Consecration14 October 1995
by Angelo Sodano, Mario Tagliaferri, and Attilio Nicora
Personal details
Born (1942-05-09) May 9, 1942 (age 82)
Paola, Calabria, Italy
NationalityItalian
Styles of
Antonio Sozzo
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleArchbishop

Antonio Sozzo (born 9 May 1942) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, including for twenty years as apostolic nuncio, before he retired in 2015.

Biography

Antonio Sozzo was born on 9 May 1942 in Paola in Calabria. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Verona on August 28, 1971.

Diplomatic career

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 12 July 1976. He worked in Panama, Uruguay, Nigeria, Chile, Germany, Morocco, and Spain, and in the nunciature in Brussels from 1991 to 1993.[1]

On 5 August 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed him Titular Archbishop of Concordia and Apostolic Nuncio to Algeria and to Tunisia, as well as Apostolic Delegate to Libya.[1]

On 23 May 1998, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Costa Rica.[2][3]

On 17 July 2003, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Morocco.[4] In 2010, after several Christians, including one Catholic priest, were forced to leave Morocco on short notice after being charged with undermining the faith of Muslims, Sozzo insisted that the Church adhere to Morocco's law against proselytizing.[5] He resigned on 16 September 2015 at the age of 73 and was awarded the Order of Ouissam Alaouite by King Mohammed VI the next day.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Le pape nomme un nouveau nonce pour l'Algérie et la Tunisie" (in French). 8 August 1995. Retrieved 5 June 2019 – via Portail Catholique Suisse.
  2. ^ "País con nuevo Nuncio". La Nación (in Spanish). 24 May 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Cambian a Nuncio Apostólico de Costa Rica". La Nación (in Spanish). 18 July 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 17.07.2003" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 July 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  5. ^ Amar, Ali (22 April 2011). "Le calvaire des Marocains chrétiens" (in French). Slate Afrique.
  6. ^ "HM the King Receives Several Foreign Ambassadors in Tetouan". Kingdom of Morocco. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2019.