Nicola Girasoli

Contents

Nicola Girasoli (21 July 1957) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been Apostolic Nuncio to Slovakia since July 2022. He served as nuncio to Zambia and Malawi from 2006 until 2011 and nuncio to the Antilles and several other Caribbean nations from 2011 to 2017. From 2017 to 2022 he served as nuncio to Peru. He has been an archbishop since 2006.

Life

Born in Ruvo di Puglia, Girasoli was ordained to the priesthood on 15 June 1980 by Pope John Paul II. He earned a doctorate in canon law. To prepare for a diplomatic career, he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1981.[1]

He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 May 1985. His assignments included postings in Indonesia, Australia, Hungary, Belgium, the United States, and Argentina, as well as work in the Section for General Affairs of the Vatican Secretariat of State.[2]

On 24 January 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him nuncio to Zambia and Malawi, and titular archbishop of Egnazia Appula.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on 11 March from Cardinal Angelo Sodano, with Archbishop Robert Sarah and Bishop Luigi Martella as co-consecrators.

On 29 October 2011, he was appointed apostolic delegate to the Antilles, and nuncio to Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Guyana.[3] On 21 December 2011, he also became nuncio to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.[4]

On 16 June 2017, Pope Francis named him nuncio to Peru.[5] In May 2018, he was mentioned as a possible candidate to fill the position of Substitute for General Affairs in the Secretariat of State because he was thought to be "very close to Pope Francis and agreeable to Cardinal Pietro Parolin", the Secretary of State.[6]

On 2 July 2022, Pope Francis named him nuncio to Slovakia.[7]

In addition to Italian, he speaks English, French, and Spanish.[2] He devoted several years to studying the rights of minorities and has written on the subject.[8]

Blessing of the Chapel in Kysuce region, Slovakia

On May 2, 2026, in Vychylovka, in his capacity as the Apostolic Nuncio, Mons. Girasoli blessed the historic Chapel of the Rosary of Our Lady on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the opening of the open air Kysuce Village Museum. The event was attended by several ambassadors and diplomats accredited in the Slovak Republic. The new St. Hubert Arboretum was also opened on this occasion.[9][10]

Writings

  • Bastarsi [It Is Enough] (in Italian). Piero Lacaita Editore. 1985.[11]
  • Significato ecclesiale dei beni temporali della Chiesa: studio dei documenti conciliari e del libro V del Codice di Diritto Canonico (in Italian). 1990. OCLC 65447147.
  • Compromise and Minority Rights. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. January 1996. ISBN 978-963-05-6866-1.
  • National Minorities: Who Are They?. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. September 1996. ISBN 978-963-05-7316-0.
  • Il primo cielo: perchè Dante non pubblicò il Paradiso (in Italian). Società Editrice Internazionale. 1995. ISBN 978-88-05-05492-3.

References

  1. 1."Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999" (in Italian). Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3]"Rinunce e Nomine, 24.01.2006" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 24 January 2006. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  3. 3."Rinunce e Nomine, 29.10.2011" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 29 October 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  4. 4."Rinunce e Nomine, 21.12.2011" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  5. 5."Rinunce e Nomine, 16.06.2017" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  6. 6.Gagliarducci, Andrea (30 May 2018). "With new cardinals on the horizon, what's next for the Roman Curia?". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  7. 7."Resignations and Appointments, 02.07.2022". Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  8. 8.Buzzerio, Rosanna. "Monsignor Nicola Girasoli nominato socio onorario del Rotary" (in Italian). RuvoLive. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  9. 9.www.tkkbs.sk. "Nuncius požehnal kaplnku a základný kameň arboréta vo Vychylovke". www.tkkbs.sk. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  10. 10.Sobola, Marek (4 May 2026). "The Apostolic Nuncio to Slovakia blessed the historic chapel and the cornerstone of the St. Hubert Arboretum". Tree of peace / Strom pokoja. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  11. 11."Bastarsi" (in Italian). Piero Lacaita Editore. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.