Leopoldo Girelli

His Excellency Leopoldo Girelli
Apostolic Nuncio to Israel Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine Apostolic Nuncio to Cyprus Titular Archbishop of Capreae
Appointed	13 January 2011
Orders
Ordination	17 June 1978 by Giulio Oggioni
Consecration	17 Jun 2006 by Angelo Sodano
Personal details
Born	(1953-03-13) March 13, 1953 Predore, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Previous post	Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia Apostolic Nuncio to Timor-Leste
Alma mater	Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy

Styles of Leopoldo Girelli
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Leopoldo Girelli (born 13 March 1953) is the current Apostolic Nuncio to Israel, Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine and Apostolic Nuncio to Cyprus. Girelli had previously served as Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia, Apostolic Nuncio to Timor-Leste, and Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore.^[1][2]

Early life

Girelli was born in Predore, Province of Bergamo in 1953.

Religious life

He was ordained a priest on 17 June 1978 and incardinated in the diocese of Bergamo. He graduated in Theology. He entered the Holy See's Diplomatic Corps after studying at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 13 July 1987 and worked in the papal diplomatic missions in Cameroon and New Zealand and at the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, and finally in the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States where he held the rank of Counsellor.

On 13 April 2006 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia and Titular Archbishop of Capreae. He was consecrated bishop on 17 June, with Cardinal Angelo Sodano as principal consecrator. On 10 October 2006 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Timor-Leste in addition to his duties as Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia.

On 13 January 2011 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore, Apostolic Delegate for Malaysia and for Brunei Darussalam, and non-residential papal representative for Vietnam. He was the first papal representative of any kind to be appointed for Vietnam since the expulsion in 1975 of the resident Apostolic Delegate.^[3] His appointment was approved by the Vietnamese Government, although Apostolic Delegates, being accredited not to the Government but to the Church in the country, are normally assigned without prior consultation of the Government. Accordingly, the 2012 Annuario Pontificio, the first edition published after the change, classified the papal representative office for Vietnam as an Apostolic Delegation, but referred to Archbishop Girelli not as an Apostolic Delegate but, generically, as Papal Representative for Vietnam.^[4]

On 18 June 2011 Girelli was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

When diplomatic relations with Malaysia were established on 27 July 2011, Girelli continued, pending the appointment of the first nuncio to that country, to act as non-diplomatic Apostolic Delegate for Malaysia, accredited to the Catholic Church in the country but not to the Government.^[5] The 2012 Annuario Pontificio gave no indication of where the first Nuncio to Malaysia was to be resident, whether in Malaysia, Singapore or elsewhere.^[6]

On September 13, 2017, it was announced that Pope Francis had made Girelli Apostolic Nuncio to both Israel and Palestine.^[1] Two days later, it was announced that Girelli was also made Apostolic Nuncio to Cyprus as well.^[7]

References