The Apostolic Delegate in the Antilles is the diplomatic representative of the Holy See in the Antilles and in some local churches of the Caribbean Sea and the territories adjacent to it. This diplomatic post is held by the church-diplomatic representative of the Vatican as an ambassador . The apostolic delegate to the Antilles was established on a permanent basis on December 7, 1925, abolished on August 10, 1938, and restored on March 13, 1975.
Currently, the Apostolic delegate to the Antilles is Archbishop Fortunatus Nvachukvu , appointed by Pope Francis on November 4, 2017 .
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History
The first apostolic delegate to the Antilles was established on a permanent basis on December 7, 1925, by decree of the Ea est Antillarum insularum of Pope Pius XI , with the jurisdiction of the Antilles and with a residence in Havana. She replaced the apostolic delegate to Cuba and Puerto Rico, which was created in 1898 .
On August 10, 1938, in accordance with the Antillarum decree of the Holy Congregation for Extraordinary Church Affairs , the apostolic delegate in the Antilles was abolished and its jurisdiction was divided between several diplomatic missions: Jamaica and British Honduras transferred to apostolic nunciature in Cuba; Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles to the Apostolic Nunciature in Haiti; Barbados and the islands of the Venezuelan coast to the apostolic nunciature in Venezuela; Bermuda to the apostolic delegate in Canada and Newfoundland; Bahamas to the apostolic delegate of the United States of America.
On March 19, 1975, the apostolic delegate to the Antilles was restored by the Apostolic Epistle “ Quoniam pro universalis ” of Pope Paul VI , with a residence in Port-au-Prince , the capital of Haiti . Since 1980, the post of apostolic delegate has been entrusted to the apostolic nuncio in Trinidad and Tobago , with a residence in Port of Spain .
In subsequent years, all independent states in the region established diplomatic relations with the Holy See: Trinidad and Tobago on July 23, 1978; Grenada February 17, 1979; Barbados April 19, 1979; Jamaica July 20, 1979; The Bahamas on July 27, 1979; Dominica September 1, 1981; Saint Lucia September 1, 1984; Antigua and Barbuda December 15, 1986; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines April 17, 1990; Suriname February 16, 1994; Guyana June 9, 1997; Saint Kitts and Nevis July 19, 1999.
Apostolic Delegates to the Antilles
Apostolic Delegate in Cuba and Puerto Rico
- Placid Lewis Chapel - (September 16, 1898 - August 9, 1905);
- Giuseppe Aversa - (May 25, 1906 - March 2, 1911 - appointed apostolic nuncio in Brazil );
- Adolfo Alejandro Nuel y Bobadilla - (November 3, 1913 - June 26, 1915);
- Tito Trocchi - (December 9, 1915 - May 25, 1921 - appointed apostolic internation in Bolivia );
- Pietro Benedetti - (July 22, 1921 - December 7, 1925).
Apostolic Delegate to the Antilles from 1925 to 1938
- George Joseph Caruana (December 22, 1925 - August 10, 1938).
Apostolic Delegates to the Antilles since 1975
- Luigi Conti (August 1, 1975 - February 9, 1980);
- Paul Fuad Tabet - (February 9, 1980 - September 8, 1984 - appointed apostolic pro-nuncio in Belize );
- Manuel Monteiro de Castro - (February 16, 1985 - August 21, 1990 - appointed apostolic nuncio in El Salvador );
- Eugenio Sbarbaro - (February 7, 1991 - April 26, 2000 - appointed apostolic nuncio in Yugoslavia );
- Emil-Paul Sherrig - (July 8, 2000 - May 22, 2004 - appointed apostolic nuncio in Korea );
- Thomas Gallikson - (October 2, 2004 - May 21, 2011 - appointed apostolic nuncio in Ukraine );
- Nicola Girasoli - (October 29, 2011 - June 16, 2017 - appointed apostolic nuncio in Peru );
- Fortunatus Nvachukvu - (November 4, 2017 - present).