Permanent Observer of the Holy See to UNESCO

The Permanent Observer of Holy See to UNESCO is the representative of the Holy See to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is based in Paris. The Church also has representatives at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York and at the headquarters of a number of its other international bodies in Geneva and Nairobi.

The first to hold the position was Angelo Roncalli, who was also the Nuncio to France and a titular archbishop.[lower-alpha 1] Only one of his successors, Paolo Bertoli, has held those titles while serving as Permanent Observer. His immediate successor was typical of most: a priest who only became nuncio and archbishop when given his next assignment as Apostolic Nuncio to Costa Rica.

List of permanent observers

• Angelo Roncalli (9 June 1952[1][2] – 12 January 1953)[lower-alpha 2]
• Giuseppe Sensi (16 May 1953[7] – 21 May 1955)[8][lower-alpha 3]
• unknown[lower-alpha 4]
• Angelo Pedroni (4 November 1960[11][12] – 7 April 1965)[lower-alpha 5]
• Giovanni Benelli (1964[10] – 1966)[14][15]
• unknown
• Luigi Conti (9 August 1971[16][17] – 5 August 1975)[17][18]
• Lorenzo Frana (13 August 1975[19] – 11 May 2002)[20][21][lower-alpha 6]
• Francesco Follo (11 May 2002[22] – present)

See also

• Foreign relations of the Holy See
• List of diplomatic missions of the Holy See

Notes

1. He was also soon to become a cardinal (1953) and then Pope John XXIII (1958).
2. Roncalli's term as Permanent Observer ended when Pope Pius XII made him a cardinal and appointed him Patriarch of Venice in January 1953. The ceremonies creating him a cardinal took several days. On 12 January Roncalli received his cardinal's biretta in Paris while Pius proclaimed him a cardinal in Rome at the consistory's first session.[3][4][5] Pius announced the Venice appointment at another session of the consistory on 15 January.[6]
3. Sensi's term as Permanent Observer ended when he was named a titular archbishop and Nuncio to Costa Rica,[8] though one source dates the end of his service as 1956.[9]
4. One account identifies Paolo Bertoli as the representative in 1960, but he had just ended his posting as Nuncio to Lebanon and become Nuncio to France on 16 April 1960.[10]
5. He is identified as Permanent Observer in February 1965[13] and is named a titular archbishop and Apostolic Delegate to Thailand and Laos on 7 April 1965.
6. Pope John Paul II called Frana the Permanent Observer the day before he named Follo to the post.[2]

References

1. Melnyk, Roman A. (2009). Vatican Diplomacy at the United Nations: A History of Catholic Global Engagement. Edwin Mellon Press. p. 26.
2. "Address of John Paul II to the International Catholic Center for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 10 May 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
3. Pham, John-Peter (2004). Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession. Oxford University Press. p. 69. ISBN 9780195346350. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
4. "Heads of 4 States to Vest Cardinals" (PDF). New York Times. 13 December 1952. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
5. Cortesi, Arnaldo (12 January 1953). "Pope to Elevate Cardinals Today" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
6. Pope John XXIII (2001). The Pope's Caress. Médiaspaul. p. 126. ISBN 9782894204825. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
7. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). XXXXV. 1953. p. 655. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
8. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). XXXXVII. 1955. p. 475. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
9. Lentz III, Harris M. (2015). Popes and Cardinals of the 20th Century: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 171. ISBN 9781476621555.
10. Maurel, Chloé (1 January 2014). "L'influence du Vatican et des réseaux catholiques à l'Unesco (1945-1974)". Cahiers d'histoire. Revue d'histoire critique (in French). Retrieved 20 August 2019. En 1960, à l’ouverture de la conférence générale de l’Unesco, est même célébrée une messe, par Mgr Bertoli, observateur du Saint-Siège auprès de l’Unesco, à l’église Saint-Francois-Xavier.
11. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LII. 1960. p. 932. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
12. Blanco Segura, Ricardo (1984). Obispos, arzobispos y representantes de la Santa Sede en Costa Rica (in Spanish). EUNED. p. 150. ISBN 9789977640792. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
13. "Ending of Atomic Fear Held Man's Chief Désire". The Catholic Transcript. 18 February 1965. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
14. Lentz III, Harris M. (2015). Popes and Cardinals of the 20th Century: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 21. ISBN 9781476621555.
15. Journet Maritain Correspondance: 1965-1973. Editions Saint-Augustin. 1996. p. 161. ISBN 9782880114145.
16. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXIII. 1971. p. 719. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
17. "Religion". Le Monde (in French). 8 August 1975. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
18. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXVII. 1975. p. 507. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
19. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXVII. 1975. p. 507. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
20. "L'UNESCO tel "l'Aréopage du monde" en vue de la paix: Mgr Lorenzo Frana à la 31e session de la Conférence Générale de l'UNESCO". Les Amis du Saint Siège auprès de l'UNESCO (in French). 19 October 2001. Au cours des 26 ans passés comme Observateur permanent du Saint-Siège auprès de l’UNESCO
21. "Gandino in lutto, addio a monsignor Frana". Eco di Bergamo (in Italian). 8 November 2005. Retrieved 20 August 2019 – via Gandino.it.
22. "Rinunce e Nomine, 11.05.2002" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 11 May 2002.