Antonio Sozzo

Last updated
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Antonio Sozzo
Apostolic Nuncio emeritus of Morocco
Titular Archbishop of Concordia
Appointed17 July 2003
Retired16 September 2015
Predecessor Domenico De Luca
Successor Vito 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
Nationality Italian
Styles of
Antonio Sozzo
Template-Archbishop.svg
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Archbishop

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.

Contents

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic nunciature</span> Official diplomatic representation of the Holy See

An apostolic nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See that is equivalent to an embassy. However, it neither issues visas nor has consulates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Lazzarotto</span> Italian prelate

Giuseppe Lazzarotto KC*HS 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.

The Apostolic Nunciature to Algeria is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Algeria. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio to Algeria and enjoys the rank of an ambassador. The office of the nunciature is located in Bologhine-Alger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renzo Fratini</span>

Renzo Fratini is an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and diplomat of the Holy See. He became an apostolic nuncio in 1998 and ended his career as nuncio to Spain. As he resigned in 2019, the Holy See distanced itself from his criticism of the Spanish government's plans to relocate the remains of Francisco Franco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giacinto Berloco</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church


Giacinto Berloco is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium and to Luxembourg from 2009 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruno Musarò</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1948)

Bruno Musarò is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1977 to 2023, with the rank of archbishop and apostolic nuncio from 1994. In retirement, as is customary, he retains the title "Apostolic Nuncio".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Arcari</span> Italian prelate

Antonio Arcari is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and retired in 2023. He has been an archbishop and has held the rank of Apostolic Nuncio since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dagoberto Campos Salas</span> Costa Rican prelate of the Catholic Church

Dagoberto Campos Salas is a Costa Rican prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has served as the Apostolic Nuncio to Panama since 2022. He is the first native of Costa Rica to hold the title of apostolic nuncio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osvaldo Padilla</span>

Osvaldo Montecillo Padilla is a Philippine prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1991 and the position of Apostolic Nuncio to several countries before retiring in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Maury Buendía</span> Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1955)

Miguel Maury Buendía is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who has spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. An archbishop since 2008, he has been Apostolic Nuncio to several countries. On 13 April 2023, he was appointed nuncio to Great Britain.

The Apostolic Nunciature to Costa Rica the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Costa Rica. It is located in San José. The current Apostolic Nuncio is Archbishop Mark Miles, who was named to the position by Pope Francis on 9 July 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Nguyên Van Tot</span> Vietnamese prelate


Pierre Nguyên Van Tot is a Vietnamese prelate of the Catholic Church and a diplomat of the Holy See.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliseo Antonio Ariotti</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church

Eliseo Antonio Ariotti is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has been Apostolic Nuncio to Paraguay since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramiro Moliner Inglés</span> Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church (1941–2024)

Ramiro Moliner Inglés was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career working in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

Angelo Pedroni was a prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, with the title of nuncio from 1965 until his retirement in 1989 and the rank of archbishop from 1965 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Lucibello</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1942)

Antonio Lucibello is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1971 to 2016. He has held the rank of archbishop and apostolic nuncio since 1995.

The Apostolic Nunciature to Morocco is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Morocco. The Apostolic Nuncio to Morocco is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Morocco, with the rank of an ambassador. The nuncio serves both as the ambassador of the Holy See to the State of Libya and as delegate and point-of-contact between the Catholic hierarchy in Morocco and the pope.

The Apostolic Nunciature to Tunisia is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Tunisia. The Apostolic Nuncio to Tunisia is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Tunisia, with the rank of an ambassador. The nuncio serves both as the ambassador of the Holy See to the State of Tunisia and as the point-of-contact between the Catholic hierarchy in Tunisia and the pope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lajos Kada</span>

Lajos Kada was a Hungarian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent most of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, serving also in the Roman Curia.

Paolino Limongi was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1963 and led the offices representing the Holy See in Costa Rica and Iran.

References

  1. 1 2 "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.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.