Ettore Balestrero

Ettore Balestrero (21 December 1966) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the Apostolic Nunicio to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He previously served as Nuncio to Colombia and in Rome at the Secretariat of State as Undersecretary for Relations with States. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1996 and was made an archbishop in 2013.

The Most Reverend Ettore Balestrero
Apostolic Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ettore Balestrero in 2008 wearing vestments
Church	Catholic Church
Appointed	6 July 2018
Predecessor	Luis Mariano Montemayor
Other posts	Titular Archbishop of Victoriana (2013-)
Orders
Ordination	18 September 1993 by Camillo Ruini
Consecration	27 April 2013 by Tarcisio Bertone
Personal details
Birth name	Ettore Balestrero
Born	21 December 1966 Genoa, Italy
Previous post	Undersecretary for Relations with States (2009-13) Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia (2013-18)
Alma mater	Almo Collegio Capranica Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
Coat of arms

Biography

Balestrero was born in Genoa on 21 December 1966; his mother was an American. After attending law school, he entered the Almo Collegio Capranica and was ordained a priest on 18 September 1993 for the Diocese of Rome by Cardinal Camillo Ruini. He earned a degree in theology and a doctorate in Canon Law. After serving in the Parish of Santa Maria Mater Ecclesiae al Torrino, he became a student at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.

He entered the Holy See's diplomatic service in 1996 and held positions in Korea, Mongolia and the Netherlands. Beginning in 2001 he served in the Secretariat of State. On 17 August 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Undersecretary for Relations with States,[1] replacing Pietro Parolin who was named Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela the same day.[1]

Balestrero speaks fluent English as well as French, Spanish, German and Dutch.

As Undersecretary, Balestrero was the Vatican’s representative to Moneyval, the arm of the Council of Europe charged with the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Moneyval’s July 2016 assessment showed the Vatican had substantially improved its compliance, though it identified ongoing problems as well. Balestrero accepted its judgements and said the report was "not an end, but a milestone in our continuing efforts ... an important passage in our continuing efforts to marry moral commitments to technical excellence.[2][3][4]

On 22 February 2013, in the last week of the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, Balestrero was appointed apostolic nuncio to Colombia and Titular Archbishop of Vittoriana.[5][lower-alpha 1] He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on 27 April.[7] In Colombia he supported the government's entente with the FARC guérilla movement and the peace agreement reached in November 2016, leading to a papal visit to Colombia in 2017.[8]

Early in 2018, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, returned to Rome after being declared persona non grata for his criticisms of DRC President Joseph Kabila.[9] On 6 July, the Holy See sent Balestrero to the nunciature in the DRC to resolve its affairs (per il disbrigo degli affari), though he was not given a title in the nunciature.[10][11][lower-alpha 2]

On 27 April 2019, after elections and a change of government in the DRC, Pope Francis named Balestrero apostolic nuncio to the DRC.[13][lower-alpha 3]

Notes

1. In February 2013, Balestrero was mentioned in connection with "Vatileaks". As Vatican representative to Moneyval he had participated in heated internal debate about Vatican procedures for ensuring transparency in financial transactions, and that debate was thought to have prompted the unauthorized leak of confidential Vatican correspondence. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, dismissed suggestions that Balestrero’s foreign assignment was related to a recent newspaper story, noting that the appointment of an apostolic nuncio requires the approval of the country to which the nuncio is posted and is not accomplished quickly.[6]
2. La Croix described Balestrero as chargé d’affaires in the DRC.[12] When the Holy See next announced an assignment for Balestrero in April 2019, it referred to him only as a titular archbishop and used no diplomatic title.[13]
3. Montemayor had succeeded Balestrero as Nuncio to Colombia on 27 September 2018.[14][15]

References

1. "Rinunce e Nomine, 10.08.2009" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
2. Squires, Nick (19 July 2012). "Vatican lacking in anti-terror finance measures". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
3. "Vatican Official Holds Briefing on Moneyval Report". Zenit. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
4. Povoledo, Elisabetta (18 July 2012). "Report Sees Flaws in Workings of the Vatican Bank". New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
5. "Rinunce e Nomine (Continuazione), 22.02.2013" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
6. "Vatican official mentioned in story on Vatican corruption is given new assignment : News Headlines". Catholic Culture. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
7. Ordinazione Episcopale di S.E. Mins. Ettore Balestrero..., retrieved 27 April 2019
8. Guidos, Thina (23 June 2017). "Vatican announces pope will attend reconciliation events in Colombia". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
9. "Papa Francesco nomina monsignor Balestrero nuovo nunzio apostolico in Congo". La Repubblica (in Italian). 27 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
10. "Disposizione Pontificia circa la Nunziatura Apostolica nella Repubblica Democratica del Congo, 06.07.2018" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
11. Cernuzio, Salvatore (6 July 2018). "Balestrero to the nunciature in Congo left vacant by the archbishop "disliked" by the government". La Stampa. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
12. "New chargé d'affaires appointed at nunciature in DR Congo". La Croix (in French). 9 July 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
13. "Resignations and Appointments, 27.04.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
14. "Rinunce e Nomine, 27.09.2018" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
15. Beltramo Álvarez, Andrés (27 September 2018). "Congo-Colombia, el curioso intercambio de la diplomacia pontificia". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2019.