Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain | |
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Location | Wimbledon, London |
Address | 54 Parkside, London, SW19 5NE |
Coordinates | 51°26′10″N 0°13′26″W / 51.4361°N 0.2239°W |
Apostolic Nuncio | Miguel Maury Buendía |
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The Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain is the diplomatic office of the Holy See in Great Britain. It is headed by the Apostolic Nuncio, who has the rank of an ambassador (officially, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St. James's). The parties agreed to exchange representatives at the ambassadorial level and Pope John Paul II erected the Nunciature to Great Britain on 17 January 1982.[1][2] Before then, the interests of the Holy See in Great Britain had been represented by an Apostolic Delegate since 1938, though not granted diplomatic status until 1979.[3] The decision to designate the nuncio to Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom reflected the complex and frequently antagonistic relationship between the Holy See and the British crown since they severed ties in the sixteenth century. British government sources said it had been agreed that the nuncio in London would concern himself with matters in England, Scotland and Wales, while the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, based in Dublin, would have within his purview the entire island of Ireland.[1]
The office of the nunciature is in London, at 54 Parkside, in Wimbledon, lying within the Archdiocese of Southwark and overlooking Wimbledon Common. It was the only diplomatic mission in London located south of the river Thames until the United States Embassy opened its new premises in Vauxhall in 2018. The Nuncio to Great Britain is also the papal representative to Gibraltar.[4]
The current nuncio as of April 2023 is Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía.[5]
Northern Ireland also caused some soul-searching, Government sources said. In the end it was decided that the Vatican would in future deal with Northern Ireland through the nuncio in Dublin and with England, Scotland and Wales through the pro-nuncio in London.
In Magna Britannia Apostolica Nuntiatura constituitur.