Doyen

Last updated March 06, 2024

A doyen or doyenne (from the French word doyen , doyenne in the feminine grammatical gender) is the senior ambassador by length of service in a particular country.^[1]

In the English language, the meaning of doyen (feminine form: doyenne) has been borrowed from French to refer to any senior member of a group,^[2] particularly one whose knowledge or abilities exceed those of other members. In the United States and other English-speaking countries, the title of Dean is often used for the seniormost member of the diplomatic corps.^[3]

In many Catholic countries, the doyen of the diplomatic corps is the Apostolic Nuncio regardless of the length of service. In a number of former colonies in Africa, the ambassador of the former metropolis holds this position.

A doyen or dean can only be a diplomatic representative of the highest class –an ambassador or a papal nuncio (in some Catholic countries, only a nuncio, regardless of the time of accreditation, and in Burkina Faso, only one of the ambassadors of African countries).^[4] The foreman's activities, for example, include instructing colleagues about local diplomatic customs. The moment of seniority of the heads of representative offices of the corresponding class in the diplomatic corps is determined by the date and hour of entry into the performance of their functions (in the practice of modern states, this moment is considered the time of presenting the credentials).^[5]

In most countries, the longest-serving ambassador to a country is given the title doyen of the Diplomatic Corps. The doyen is often accorded a high position in the order of precedence. In New Zealand, for example, the doyen takes precedence over figures such as the deputy prime minister and former governors-general.^[6]

In many countries that have Roman Catholicism as the official or dominant religion, the apostolic nuncio (the diplomatic representative of the Holy See) serves as doyen by virtue of his office, regardless of seniority;^[7] in other cases, the nuncio is treated as an ordinary ambassador of the Holy See and has no special precedence. The Congress of Vienna and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations provided that any country may choose to give nuncios a different precedence than other ambassadors.^[8]

The diplomatic corps may also cooperate amongst itself on a number of matters, including certain dealings with the host government. In practical terms, the dean of the diplomatic corps may have a role to play in negotiating with local authorities regarding the application of aspects of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and diplomatic immunity, such as the payment of certain fees or taxes, since the receiving country is required "not to discriminate between states". In this sense, the dean has the role of representing the entire diplomatic corps for matters that affect the corps as a whole, although this function is rarely formalized.

Related Research Articles

An apostolic nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is appointed by and represents the Holy See, and is the head of the diplomatic mission, called an apostolic nunciature, which is the equivalent of an embassy. The Holy See is legally distinct from the Vatican City or the Catholic Church. In modern times, a nuncio is usually an archbishop.

An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment. The word is also used informally for people who are known, without national appointment, to represent certain professions, activities, and fields of endeavor, such as sales.

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.

A papal legate or apostolic legate is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catholic Church, or representatives of the state or monarchy. He is empowered on matters of Catholic faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomatic corps</span> Body of foreign diplomats accredited to one country or body

The diplomatic corps is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.

Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seatings at state dinners, the person to whom diplomatic credentials should be presented, and the title by which the diplomat should be addressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Nunciature to the United States</span> Diplomatic Mission of the Holy See in the United States of America

The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States, sometimes referred to as the Vatican Embassy, is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the United States. It is located at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Embassy Row neighborhood. Since 2016, the papal nuncio has been Cardinal Christophe Pierre.

A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country's diplomatic mission to an international organisation.

The Apostolic Nunciature in the Philippines is a top-level diplomatic mission assigned by the Holy See to the Philippines, located at 2140 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila.

The Holy See has long been recognised as a subject of international law and as an active participant in international relations. One observer has stated that its interaction with the world has, in the period since World War II, been at its highest level ever. It is distinct from the city-state of the Vatican City, over which the Holy See has "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction".

Precedence signifies the right to enjoy a prerogative of honor before other persons; for example, to have the most distinguished place in a procession, a ceremony, or an assembly, to have the right to express an opinion, cast a vote, or append a signature before others, to perform the most honorable offices.

Holy See–Malaysia relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diego von Bergen</span> German diplomat and jurist

Carl-Ludwig Diego von Bergen was the ambassador to the Holy See from the Kingdom of Prussia (1915–1918), the Weimar Republic (1920–1933), and Nazi Germany (1933–1943), most notably during the negotiation of the Reichskonkordat and during the Second World War.

Foreign relations of Pope Pius XII extended to most of Europe and a few states outside Europe. Pius XII was pope from 1939 to 1958, during World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.

Leopoldo Girelli is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the apostolic nuncio to India and to Nepal. He was nuncio to Israel and to Cyprus as well as apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine from 2017 to 2021. He has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1987 and previously served as nuncio to Indonesia, East Timor and Singapore.

Ireland has limited use of order of precedence.

Augustine Kasujja is a Ugandan prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He was the Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium from 2016 to 2021.

The order of precedence among European monarchies was a much-contested theme of European history, until it lost its salience following the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

References

↑ "Diplomacy - Modern diplomatic practice | Britannica".
↑ Oxford English Dictionary 2nd Ed. 1998
↑ "Deans of the Diplomatic Corps". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
↑ "In der russischen Botschaft, jetzt praktisch ganz ohne NATO (M. Nachtrag) – Augen geradeaus!".
↑ Anciennitätenliste des Auswärtigen Amts, PDF-Dok. c. 405 kB, retrieved 14 January 2019, wird ständig aktualisiert.
↑ "Order of Precedence in New Zealand" (PDF). Website of the Governor-General of New Zealand. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
↑ Hyginus Eugene Cardinale, The Holy See and the International Order ( ISBN 0-900675-60-8), p. 160. Quote: "The right to precedence of all permanent papal representatives regardless of their title, from 1815-1849 was generally acknowledged and admitted without contestation by the governments of all the European States and of South America, and without any objection being raised by the diplomats accredited to these States, not even on the part of the British envoys. Such, for example, was the case of the internuncios Mgr Francesco Capaccini in Holland (1829-1831), Mgr Pasquale Gizzi (1835-1837) and Mgr Raffaele Fornari (1838-1841) in Belgium, Mgr Antonio Garibaldi in France (1836-1843) and all the papal diplomatic representatives with the title of apostolic delegate and envoy extraordinary in the various South American republics."
↑ "Regulation of Vienna on the classification of diplomatic agents" (PDF). Yearbook of the International Law Commission (in French). Vol. II. 1957. p. 135.

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.

[1] "Diplomacy - Modern diplomatic practice | Britannica".

[2] Oxford English Dictionary 2nd Ed. 1998

[3] "Deans of the Diplomatic Corps". United States Department of State. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[4] "In der russischen Botschaft, jetzt praktisch ganz ohne NATO (M. Nachtrag) – Augen geradeaus!".

[5] Anciennitätenliste des Auswärtigen Amts, PDF-Dok. c. 405 kB, retrieved 14 January 2019, wird ständig aktualisiert.

[6] "Order of Precedence in New Zealand" (PDF). Website of the Governor-General of New Zealand. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.

[7] Hyginus Eugene Cardinale, The Holy See and the International Order ( ISBN 0-900675-60-8), p. 160. Quote: "The right to precedence of all permanent papal representatives regardless of their title, from 1815-1849 was generally acknowledged and admitted without contestation by the governments of all the European States and of South America, and without any objection being raised by the diplomats accredited to these States, not even on the part of the British envoys. Such, for example, was the case of the internuncios Mgr Francesco Capaccini in Holland (1829-1831), Mgr Pasquale Gizzi (1835-1837) and Mgr Raffaele Fornari (1838-1841) in Belgium, Mgr Antonio Garibaldi in France (1836-1843) and all the papal diplomatic representatives with the title of apostolic delegate and envoy extraordinary in the various South American republics."

[vienna1815_en-8] "Regulation of Vienna on the classification of diplomatic agents" (PDF). Yearbook of the International Law Commission (in French). Vol. II. 1957. p. 135.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]