Giuseppe Lazzarotto

Giuseppe Lazzarotto KC*HS (born 24 May 1942) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1971 to 2017, with the rank of apostolic nuncio and an archbishop since 1994.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Giuseppe Lazzarotto
Apostolic Nuncio emeritus to Israel and Cyprus
Apostolic Delegate emeritus to Jerusalem and Palestine
Titular Archbishop of Numana
Appointed18 August 2012
Retired28 August 2017
PredecessorAntonio Franco
SuccessorLeopoldo Girelli
Other post(s)Titular Archbishop of Numana
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination1 April 1967
by Girolamo Bortignon
Consecration7 October 1994
by Angelo Sodano, Myroslav Marusyn, and Antonio Mattiazzo
Personal details
Born (1942-05-24) May 24, 1942 (age 82)
Carpanè, Vicenza, Italy
NationalityItalian
Styles of
Giuseppe Lazzarotto
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleArchbishop

Biography

Giuseppe Lazzarotto was born in Carpanè, Vicenza, Italy, on 24 May 1942. He studied for the priesthood and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Padua on 1 April 1967.[1] He completed the program of study at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1967[2] and earned a doctorate in canon law.

Diplomatic career

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1971.

Lazzarotto served as part of the delegations in Zambia and Malawi, Belgium, Cuba, and Jerusalem, and in the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See from 1984 to 1994. He was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and to Iraq on 23 July 1994 and appointed Titular Archbishop of Numana. He was consecrated bishop on 7 October 1994 by Cardinal Angelo Sodano assisted by Archbishop Miroslav Stefan Marusyn and Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo.

He was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland on 11 November 2000.[3] He presented his credentials to President Mary McAleese on 18 January 2001.

In 2007 a questionnaire about prospective candidates for bishop that Lazzarotto had sent to priests in the Down and Connor Diocese became public. Lazzarotto refused to comment about it saying that "all aspects relating to the process of episcopal appointments should be dealt with in the strictest confidentiality. I trust that you will understand that I cannot depart from this practice".[4]

On 22 December 2007, Pope Benedict XVI named him Apostolic Nuncio to Australia.[5]

The Murphy Report into child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese, released in November 2009, criticized Lazzarotto for failing to respond to a request for documents. His refusal was part of an ongoing dispute between the Irish investigators and the Holy See. The Vatican insisted on communication through the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs while the Commission viewed itself as independent of the government and not confined to diplomatic channels.[6]

On 18 August 2012, Pope Benedict appointed him apostolic nuncio to Israel and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine,[7] to which he added the responsibilities of apostolic nuncio to Cyprus on 30 August.[8]

He retired from the diplomatic service in August 2017. On 4 October, Pope Francis named him a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.[9] At the end of 2017, he was appointed Assessor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by its Grand Master, Cardinal Edwin O'Brien.[10] He resigned that position for health reasons in 2019.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (21 August 2012). "Vatican Appoints New Papal Ambassador for Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999" (in Italian). Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 11.11.2000" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 11 November 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  4. ^ McGarry, Patsy (12 April 2007). "Papal nuncio lists qualities church requires in bishops". The Irish Times.
  5. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 22.12.2007" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 22 December 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Not available". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  7. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 18.08.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 30.08.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 04.10.2017" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Msgr. Giuseppe Lazzarotto is the new Assessor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre" (Press release). Order of the Hily Sepulchre. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  11. ^ Caputo, Tommaso (20 September 2019). "Msgr. Tommaso Caputo, new Assessor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre". La Stampa (Interview). Interviewed by François Vayne. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Giuseppe Lazzarotto.
  • "The culture of encounter at the very heart of the mission of the Church". Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Interview). Interviewed by François Vayne. 22 September 2015.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq
23 July 1994 – 11 November 2000 		Succeeded by
New title Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan
23 July 1994 – 11 November 2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland
11 November 2000 – 22 December 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Australia
22 December 2007 – 18 August 2012 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Israel
18 August 2012 – 28 August 2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine
18 August 2012 – 28 August 2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Cyprus
30 August 2012 – 28 August 2017 		Succeeded by