Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain

Location	Wimbledon, London
Address	54 Parkside, London, SW19 5NE
Coordinates	51°26′10″N 0°13′26″W / 51.4361°N 0.2239°W / 51.4361; -0.2239
Apostolic Nuncio	Miguel Maury Buendía

The Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain is like the embassy for the Holy See (which is the government of the Pope) in Great Britain. It is led by the Apostolic Nuncio, who acts as the Pope's ambassador. The official title for this ambassador is the Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St. James's.

The Holy See and Great Britain agreed to exchange ambassadors. So, Pope John Paul II officially set up the Nunciature to Great Britain on 17 January 1982. Before this, from 1938, the Holy See had a representative called an Apostolic Delegate. This delegate didn't have full diplomatic status until 1979.

The decision to call it the Nunciature to Great Britain instead of the United Kingdom was important. It showed the long and sometimes difficult relationship between the Holy See and the British crown since they separated in the 1500s. British officials explained that the nuncio in London would handle matters in England, Scotland, and Wales. Meanwhile, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, based in Dublin, would look after the whole island of Ireland.

The Nunciature's office is in London, at 54 Parkside in Wimbledon. It is part of the Archdiocese of Southwark and looks out over Wimbledon Common. For a long time, it was the only diplomatic office south of the river Thames in London. This changed when the United States Embassy opened its new building in Vauxhall in 2018. The Nuncio to Great Britain also represents the Pope in Gibraltar.

As of April 2023, the current nuncio is Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía.

History of the Nunciature

Official diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and the Holy See started again in 1914. An Apostolic Delegation to Great Britain was then set up on 21 November 1938. This delegation was later upgraded to an Apostolic Nunciature by Pope John Paul II in 1982. This meant it became a full embassy.

Who Has Held the Office?

Office	From	Until	Post Holder	Notes
Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain	21 November 1938	10 November 1953	William Godfrey	He was a priest in Liverpool. He left after being chosen as Archbishop of Liverpool.
	8 June 1954	16 July 1963	Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara	He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland. He died while in this job.
	4 October 1963	19 April 1969	Igino Eugenio Cardinale	He left after being appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium.
	26 April 1969	16 July 1973	Domenico Enrici	He was previously the Apostolic Delegate to Australia. He left to work for the Secretariat of State.
	16 July 1973	22 February 1982	Bruno Bernard Heim	He was previously the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt. He retired from his role.
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Great Britain	22 February 1982	July 1985	Bruno Bernard Heim
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Great Britain	21 January 1986	13 April 1993	Luigi Barbarito	He was previously the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Australia. He retired.
Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain	13 April 1993	31 July 1997	Luigi Barbarito
	31 July 1997	23 October 2004	Pablo Puente Buces	He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait. He retired.
	11 December 2004	5 December 2010	Faustino Sainz Muñoz	He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to the European Community. He retired.
	18 December 2010	1 March 2017	Antonio Mennini	He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Uzbekistan. He later became an official of the Secretariat of State.
	8 April 2017	31 January 2020	Edward Joseph Adams	He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Greece. He retired.
	4 July 2020	mid-January 2023	Claudio Gugerotti	He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine. He was later appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.
	13 April 2023		Miguel Maury Buendía	He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to Romania and Moldova.

Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain facts for kids

History of the Nunciature

Who Has Held the Office?

See Also