Vatican City, Jul 17, 2010 / 08:26 am
Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt was appointed as the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations on Saturday. He comes into the role from years of diplomatic corps experience, including his most recent post as Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq and Jordan.
The Indian-born prelate takes the place of Italian Archbishop Celestino Migliore who was made Apostolic Nuncio to Poland on June 30 after nearly eight years of service as the Vatican's leading diplomat to the UN.
Archbishop Chullikatt has previously served as a Papal representative to the UN as well as in various diplomatic capacities in Honduras, Southern Africa and the Philippines, after entering the Holy See's diplomatic corps in 1988.
The prelate also served as first secretary in the Department for Relations between States in the Vatican Secretariat of State before being named Nuncio to both Iraq and Jordan in April 2006.
He speaks English, French, Spanish and Italian.
The archbishop was ordained a priest in 1978 in the Archdiocese of Verapoly, India and has doctorate in Canon Law.