Giuseppe Lazzarotto

Biography

Archbishop Lazzarotto served as part of the delegations in Zambia and Malawi, Belgium, Cuba, and Jerusalem, and in the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See between 1984 and 1994. He was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and to Iraq on 23 July 1994. On this same date he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Numana and was consecrated archbishop on 7 October 1994. His Principal Consecrator was Cardinal Angelo Sodano; his Principal Co-Consecrators were Archbishop Miroslav Stefan Marusyn and Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo.

He was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland on 11 November 2000 replacing Luciano Storero. He presented his credentials to President Mary McAleese on 18 January 2001.

In 2007 it came to light that the Nuncio sent a questionnaire to priests in the vacant see of Down and Connor asking their opinions on who should become the next bishop. This was seen in the Irish Times (12 April 2007). Archbishop Lazzarotto asked a number of priests who should be the next bishop under the headings of: initiative, sobriety, and fatherly spirit. The archbishop also questioned priests about the successor's health and practical skills as well as temperament and discipline to the Holy See. When contacted about this leaked document, Lazzarotto said "all aspects relating to the process of episcopal appointments should be dealt with in the strictest confidentiality. I trust that you will understand that I cannot depart from this practice".

On 22 December 2007 he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Apostolic Nuncio to Australia.

Murphy Report

On 26 November 2009 the Murphy Report into child abuse in the Dublin diocese was released. The report criticized Archbishop Lazzarotto. In September 2006, the commission wrote to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith seeking information on reports of clerical child sex abuse sent to it by the Dublin archdiocese over a 30-year period. It also sought information on the document Crimen Solicitationis, which deals with clerical sex abuse. The congregation however did not reply. Instead, the CDF contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs stating that the commission had not gone through appropriate diplomatic channels. As a body independent of government, the commission said it did not consider it appropriate to use diplomatic channels. In February 2007, the commission wrote to Archbisop Lazzarotto asking that he forward all documents relevant to it and which had not been or were not produced by the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin. It also requested that he confirm if he had no such documents. The papal nuncio did not reply. [1]

He was appointed nuncio to Israel on 20 August 2012 having served in Australia for five years.