View source for Apostolic nunciature

{{Short description|Official diplomatic representation of the Holy See}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
[[File:CABA - Recoleta - Nunciatura de la ciudad de Buenos Aires.jpg|thumb|Apostolic nunciature in Buenos Aires, Argentina]]
[[File:Holy See Djursholm.jpg|thumb|Apostolic nunciature in Djursholm, Sweden]]
[[File:Apostolic Nunciature, Jakarta.jpg|thumb|Apostolic nunciature in Jakarta, Indonesia]]
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 [[consul (representative)|consulates]].

The head of the apostolic nunciature is called a ''[[nuncio]]'', an ecclesiastical diplomatic title. A papal nuncio (officially known as an apostolic nuncio) is a permanent diplomatic representative (head of diplomatic mission) of the Holy See to a state or to one of two international intergovernmental organizations, the [[European Union]] or [[ASEAN]], having the rank of an [[ambassador]] extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and the ecclesiastical rank of [[titular bishop|titular]] [[archbishop]]. Papal representatives to other intergovernmental organizations are known as "permanent observers" or "delegates".

In several countries that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, the apostolic nuncio is ''ipso facto'' the [[Diplomatic corps#Dean of the Diplomatic Corps|dean of the diplomatic corps]]. The nuncio is, in such a country, first in the [[order of precedence]] among all the diplomats accredited to the country, and he speaks for the diplomatic corps in matters of diplomatic privilege and protocol. Most countries that concede priority to the nuncio are officially Catholic, but some are not.

In addition, the nuncio serves as the liaison between the Holy See and the Church in that particular nation<!-- Cite evidence if this is true:  supervising the diocesan episcopate (usually a national conference of bishops which has its own elected President, often the highest-ranking (arch)bishop, especially if his seat carries the title of primate or he has individually been created a cardinal) -->.  The nuncio has an important role in the selection of bishops.

== List of diplomatic posts of the Holy See ==
{{Main|List of diplomatic missions of the Holy See}}
[[File:Holy See missions accreditations and relations.svg|thumb|350px|{{legend|#00FF00|Diplomatic relations, resident mission, nuncio is of ambassadorial rank and with additional privileges<ref>Such as in [[Order of precedence]].</ref>}} {{legend|#00FFFF|Diplomatic relations, non-resident accreditation with additional privileges}}  {{legend|#008000|Diplomatic relations, resident mission, nuncio has regular ambassadorial status}}{{legend|#0000FF|Diplomatic relations, non-resident accreditation, regular ambassadorial status}} <br /> {{legend|#FF0000|Formal contact with the government, but no diplomatic relations}} {{legend|#FF8040|Representative to the Catholic communities only, no diplomatic relations}}]]

The pope accredits diplomats with the following states and other subjects of international law (list as per January 2010):<ref>{{cite news| first = Sandro | last = Magister |url=http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1341731?eng=y |title=The Holy See's Diplomatic Net. Latest Acquisition: Russia |publisher= La Repubblica |date= 14 January 2010 |access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref>

=== Africa ===
[[Apostolic Nunciature to Algeria|Algeria]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Angola|Angola]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Benin|Benin]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Burkina Faso|Burkina Faso]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Burundi|Burundi]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Botswana|Botswana]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Cameroon|Cameroon]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Cape Verde|Cape Verde]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to the Central African Republic|Central African Republic]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Chad|Chad]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of the Congo|Congo (Republic of)]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo (Democratic Republic of)]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Ivory Coast|Côte d'Ivoire]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Djibouti|Djibouti]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Egypt|Egypt]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Equatorial Guinea|Equatorial Guinea]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Eritrea|Eritrea]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Ethiopia|Ethiopia]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Gabon|Gabon]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Gambia|Gambia]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Ghana|Ghana]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Guinea|Guinea]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Guinea-Bissau|Guinea-Bissau]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Kenya|Kenya]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Lesotho|Lesotho]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Liberia|Liberia]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Libya|Libya]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Madagascar|Madagascar]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Malawi|Malawi]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Mali|Mali]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Mauritius|Mauritius]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Morocco|Morocco]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Mozambique|Mozambique]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Namibia|Namibia]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Niger|Niger]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Nigeria|Nigeria]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Rwanda|Rwanda]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to São Tomé and Príncipe|São Tomé and Príncipe]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Senegal|Sénégal]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Seychelles|Seychelles]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Sierra Leone|Sierra Leone]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to South Africa|South Africa]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Sudan|Sudan]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Swaziland|Swaziland]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Tanzania|Tanzania]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Togo|Togo]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Tunisia|Tunisia]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Uganda|Uganda]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Zambia|Zambia]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Zimbabwe|Zimbabwe]]

=== The Americas ===
[[Catholic Nunciature to Antigua and Barbuda|Antigua and Barbuda]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Argentina|Argentina]], Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Bolivia|Bolivia]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil|Brazil]], [[Apostolic Nunciature in Ottawa|Canada]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Chile|Chile]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Colombia|Colombia]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Costa Rica|Costa Rica]], Cuba, Dominica, [[Dominican Republic]], Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico|México]], Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Peru|Peru]], Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, [[Apostolic Nunciature to Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to the United States|United States of America]], Uruguay, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela|Venezuela]]

=== Asia ===
Bahrain, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Bangladesh|Bangladesh]], Cambodia, [[Apostolic Nunciature to China|Republic of China (Taiwan)]], East Timor, [[Apostolic Nuncio to India|India]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Indonesia|Indonesia]], [[Holy See–Iran relations|Iran]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq|Iraq]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Israel|Israel]], [[Alberto Bottari de Castello|Japan]], Jordan, Kazakhstan, [[Apostolic Nunciature to South Korea|Korea]],<ref>South Korea. The Holy See has no relationship with the government of North Korea.</ref> Kuwait, [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon|Lebanon]], Malaysia, [[Apostolic Nunciature to Mongolia|Mongolia]],<ref>via the Nunciature in Seoul, the Apostolic Nunciature to Mongolia is held ''ex officio'' by the Nuncio to Korea.</ref> [[Apostolic Nuncio to India|Nepal]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Pakistan|Pakistan]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines|Philippines]], Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, [[Apostolic Nunciature to Thailand|Thailand]], Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam (Resident), Yemen.

=== Europe ===
[[Albania–Holy See relations|Albania]], Andorra, Armenia, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Austria|Austria]], Azerbaijan, Belarus, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium|Belgium]], Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, European Union, [[Apostolic Nuncio to France|France]], Georgia, [[Apostolic Nunciature to Germany|Germany]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain|Great Britain]], Greece, Hungary, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland|Ireland]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Italy|Italy]], Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, [[Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands|The Netherlands]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to the Nordic countries|Nordic Countries]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Poland|Poland]], [[Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal|Portugal]], Romania, [[Apostolic Nunciature in Moscow|Russia]], San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, [[Apostolic Nuncio to Spain|Spain]], Switzerland, Turkey, [[Apostolic Nunciature to Ukraine|Ukraine]]

=== Oceania ===
[[Apostolic Nunciature to Australia|Australia]], the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu.

=== Special cases ===
*United Nations: the Holy See is represented by the [[Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations]] at the UN headquarters in New York and by the Permanent Observer at the [[Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva|UN's European office in Geneva]], both of whom are [[titular bishop|titular]] [[archbishop]]s.
*Pacific Ocean: Countries of the Pacific Ocean are currently represented overall by the nuncio to New Zealand, who serves as the ''apostolic delegate in the Pacific Ocean''.<ref>{{cite press release |title= Resignations and Appointments, 29.03.2019 | date = 29 March 2019 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/03/29/190329c.html |access-date = 15 May 2019 | publisher = [[Holy See Press Office]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.busiweek.com/pope-francis-appoints-tanzanian-to-represent-the-vatican-in-new-zealand/ | date = 3 April 2019 | access-date = 15 May 2019 | title = Pope Francis Appoints Tanzanian To Represent The Vatican In New Zealand | archive-date = 6 November 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211106082221/https://www.busiweek.com/pope-francis-appoints-tanzanian-to-represent-the-vatican-in-new-zealand/ | url-status = usurped }}</ref>
*Of entities that have established diplomatic relations with the Holy See, there is no representative accredited to the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Order of Malta]] (which is also headquartered in Rome).<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/corpo-diplomatico_index_en.html |title=Bilateral and Multilateral Relations of the Holy See |publisher=Holy See Press Office |date=31 May 2007 |access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref>
*The Holy See does not have relations with fifteen countries:
:*Eight are Muslim: [[Afghanistan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Brunei]], [[Comoros]], <!-- [[Malaysia]], Note: Diplomatic relations where established in 2011. See: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/documents/rc_seg-st_20010123_holy-see-relations_en.html ---> the [[Maldives]], [[Mauritania]], [[Oman]], and [[Somalia]].
:*Four have communist governments: [[North Korea]], [[Laos]], [[China]], and [[Vietnam]].
:*The remaining three are [[Bhutan]]<!-- , [[Botswana]] Note: The article form Chiesa Espresso Online, which states that the Holy See has no diplomatic relations to Botswana is from the year 2007, however relations where established in November 2008, see https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/documents/rc_seg-st_20010123_holy-see-relations_en.html -->, [[Myanmar]], and [[Tuvalu]].<ref>{{cite news | first = Sandro | last = Magister|url=http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/162301?eng=y|title=Mission Impossible: Eject the Holy See from the United Nations|work = La Repubblica |date=21 August 2007}}</ref>

== Delegations ==
An apostolic delegate may be sent to liaison between the Catholic Church and a country with which the Holy See has no diplomatic ties, though not accredited to the government of the country. Apostolic delegates have no formal diplomatic status, though in some countries they have some diplomatic privileges.

*Africa:
:Comoros, Mauritania, Somalia
*Asia:
:The Arabian Peninsula, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam
*the Americas:
:the Antilles (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Saint Vincent and Grenadines)
*the Pacific Ocean

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Apostolic nunciatures}}
* [[Holy See#Diplomacy|Diplomacy of the Holy See]]
* [[Foreign relations of the Holy See]]
* [[Holy See and the United Nations]]
* [[Legal status of the Holy See]]
* [[List of diplomatic missions to the Holy See]]

== References ==
<references />
{{Foreign relations of the Holy See}}
{{Holy See}}
{{Diplomacy|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Diplomatic missions of the Holy See| ]]