Location Wimbledon, London | ||
Address 54 Parkside,
London,
SW19 5NE Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Mennini | ||
The Apostolic Nunciature to Great Britain is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St. James's with the rank of an ambassador. The office of the nunciature is located in London, lying within the Archdiocese of Southwark and overlooking Wimbledon Common. It is notable for being the only diplomatic mission in London located south of the river Thames. The Nuncio to Great Britain is also the papal representative to Gibraltar.
The current Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain is His Most Reverend Excellency Antonio Mennini. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 December 2010. following the early retirement of Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz on 2 December 2010. As the new Apostolic Nuncio to the UK, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, presented his credentials to The Queen on 2 March 2011.
History
Formal diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See resumed in 1914 and an Apostolic Delegation to Great Britain was established on 21 November 1938. The Apostolic Delegation to Great Britain was promoted to the rank of an Apostolic Nunciature by Pope John Paul II in 1982.