Pope Francis has appointed Italian Prelate Archbishop Pesto Giovanni d'’agnello new Apostolic Nuncio (the Vatican Ambassador) to Russia. This was reported on Monday the press service of the Holy see.
Still d'’agnello represented the Holy see in Brazil (since 2012). Before 65-year-old Vatican diplomat, he served in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2001-2010), and was then Apostolic Nuncio to Cambodia and Thailand and Apostolic delegate to Laos and Myanmar (2010-2012).
The previous Ambassador of the Vatican to Russia Archbishop Celestino Migliore, who worked in Moscow in 2016, was in the beginning of the year transferred to serve in Paris in early February left the Russian capital.
Formal diplomatic relations the Holy see established in 1990, the then Soviet Union, then the parties exchanged permanent representatives. Shortly before that – in 1989 – Pope John Paul II, the Vatican was visited by the first President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1992 the Vatican recognized Russia as the successor of the USSR. In 2009, the status of diplomatic missions were raised to Embassy level.
Russian-Vatican relations at the interstate level, regular, are distinguished by an atmosphere of dialogue and openness that is expressed including in cooperation in the sphere of culture, education, humanitarian projects, science and medical research. All of the presidents of Russia met with pontiffs, the last time the leader of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has visited the Vatican, where he met with Francis in July last year.
