Help wanted: The Holy See’s coming diplomatic vacancies
The U.S., Syria, Germany, and Israel are all in line for new nuncios
Germany’s long-serving apostolic nuncio turned 75 on Tuesday, reaching the age at which bishops are expected to tender their resignations to the pope.
Archbishop Nikola Eterović celebrated his milestone birthday Jan. 20, days after a private audience with Pope Leo XIV.
The Vatican disclosed no information about the Jan. 17 audience, other than that it took place. But it would be surprising if the topic of Eterović’s eventual successor did not come up.
The succession in Germany may not be the only diplomatic appointment on Pope Leo’s mind. At the start of 2026, Cardinal Mario Zenari, the apostolic nuncio to Syria, turned 80, the upper age limit for the role. Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., will celebrate his 80th birthday Jan. 30.
Zenari and Pierre are heading for retirement, leaving Leo XIV with two delicate diplomatic appointments to ponder.
Eterović, meanwhile, could potentially serve several more years. But if the Croatian archbishop wants to retire, the pope will have a third major diplomatic vacancy on his hands — and several others are in the pipeline.
Nuncios heading for retirement
If Pope Leo had a list of nuncios approaching retirement, this is what he might see.
Nuncios aged 75 and over:
🇸🇾 Cardinal Mario Zenari, 80, apostolic nuncio to Syria.
🇺🇲 Cardinal Christophe Pierre, 79, apostolic nuncio to the U.S.
🇮🇱 Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, 77, apostolic nuncio to Israel.
🇱🇾🇲🇹 Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-fai, 75, apostolic nuncio to Libya and Malta.
🇩🇪 Archbishop Nikola Eterović, 75, apostolic nuncio to Germany.
Nuncios nearing 75:
🇦🇺 Archbishop Charles Balvo, 74, apostolic nuncio to Australia.
🇫🇷 Archbishop Celestino Migliore, 73, apostolic nuncio to France.
🇦🇹 Archbishop Pedro López Quintana, 72, apostolic nuncio to Austria.
🇧🇦🇲🇪 Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, 72, apostolic nuncio to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
🇬🇹 Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, 72, apostolic nuncio to Guatemala.
🇮🇳🇳🇵 Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, 72, apostolic nuncio to India and Nepal.
🇷🇺🇺🇿 Archbishop Giovanni D’Aniello, 71, apostolic nuncio to Russia and Uzbekistan.
🇧🇷 Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro, 71, apostolic nuncio to Brazil.
It’s striking how many significant vacancies are imminent. Pope Leo will need to appoint a new nuncio not only to the world’s superpower, the U.S., but also to the great powers of France, Germany, India, and Russia.
Also falling vacant soon is the extremely sensitive post of apostolic nuncio to Israel, held since 2021 by Archbishop Yllana (who took over from Archbishop Girelli, now apostolic nuncio to India and Nepal).
While the general retirement age for nuncios is 75, they also have the option of stepping down at the age of 70. They are granted this possibility under Article 20 §2 of the Regulations for Pontifical Representations, the document setting out the norms of Vatican diplomacy.
Nuncios with the option of retiring at 70:
🇧🇬🇲🇰 Archbishop Luciano Suriani, 69, apostolic nuncio to Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
🇨🇿 Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, 69, apostolic nuncio to Czech Republic.
🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹 Archbishop Georg Gänswein, 69, apostolic nuncio to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
🇮🇪 Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, 69, apostolic nuncio to Ireland.
🇨🇭🇱🇮🇲🇨 Archbishop Martin Krebs, 69, apostolic nuncio to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Monaco.
While none of these postings is ultra-sensitive, if any of these nuncios opt to retire earlier, it would further shrink the Vatican’s pool of diplomats.
According to the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the recruitment of Holy See diplomats has become harder in recent years — a knock-on effect of the shrinking number of priests.
Parolin said in a 2022 interview that “every year it is challenging to find new candidates” for the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the institution that trains Vatican diplomats.
In a recent letter marking the academy’s 350th anniversary, Leo XIV noted that reforms of the diplomatic formation program aimed “to integrate legal, historical, political, economic, and linguistic skills and to combine them with the human and priestly gifts of young presbyters.”
A Church with 1.4 billion members produces only around a dozen new Vatican diplomats a year. That suggests just how challenging the formation process is.
The case for flexibility
Another way to grasp the challenge of Holy See diplomatic vacancies is to visualize it. In the graphic above, if you run your cursor along the bar that says “47” and “80,” you will see where nuncios are serving in the world, according to age.
Hovering near the start of the bar, you will notice that younger nuncios tend to be posted in the developing world, especially Africa. This may be due to the greater physical demands of serving in such countries, as well as the perception that they are good diplomatic training grounds.
The further you move along the bar, the more large or influential countries are highlighted. This reflects the tendency, not unique to the Vatican, to assign the most experienced diplomats to the most powerful nations.
This tendency partly explains why Pope Leo is facing several major vacancies at once.
Another significant factor is that Leo XIV inherited a diplomatic apparatus forged in large part by his predecessor, Pope Francis. The Argentine pope kept figures such as Cardinal Zenari and Cardinal Pierre in place after the typical retirement age because he valued them so highly. Choosing their successors has therefore quickly fallen to Pope Leo.
In a November 2025 address to Italy’s bishops, Leo XIV said: “It is good to respect the rule of 75 years for the conclusion of the service of Ordinaries in dioceses and, only in the case of cardinals, may a continuation of ministry be considered, possibly for another two years.”
It’s unclear if he intends this to apply to nuncios as well. Looking at the upcoming vacancies, the difficulties in recruitment, and a rapidly changing international order that presents new opportunities for the Holy See, the pope may decide to allow a little flexibility, prolonging the service of some aging Vatican diplomats.
In the case of Archbishop Eterović, for example, would it make sense to accept the resignation of the apostolic nuncio to Germany just as the Vatican prepares to make the momentous decision of whether to approve a new permanent synodal body in the country?
Eterović has served in Germany since 2013, meaning he has followed every twist and turn of the country’s “synodal way.” Surely such knowledge is invaluable as the process enters its conclusive phase.
Although a retirement age of 75 is good in principle, the pope may recognize that the responsibilities of Vatican diplomats are different from those of diocesan bishops.
Treating the upcoming vacancies on a case-by-case basis would give him more time to ensure that when it comes to challenging diplomatic postings, he has the right man for the job.
Is this required to be a cleric, or can a lay person fill this? If lay person--sounds awesome, I'll apply! =)
The truth is that the world needs the Holy See’s diplomacy now more than ever. Ask anyone with experience. They will tell you that Holy See diplomats hit way above their weight and that their presence is appreciated, far much more than the lay faithful realize. At the heart of the matter is not only the vocations “crisis” but also a need to reconsider the role that the laity can play if properly trained and vetted, particularly in staffing and supporting multilateral posts like the United Nations or the Secretariat of State. This is not just about the good of the Church or international Catholic prestige, it’s about the proclamation of the Gospel and the promotion of the common good where it is needed most. We must pray for the kind of fresh thinking and wisdom that only the Holy Spirit can provide in this pivotal moment. May God bless the selfless sacrifice and example of the good men, women and good priests of the Holy See’s diplomatic corps! They deserve more recognition for the incredible work they do!