BY Daniel Harkins | January 20 | 
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Pope’s representative to Britain transferred to Holy See
The Scottish Bishops have paid tribute to the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain Archbishop Antonio Mennini after the announcement that he is to leave the UK to take up a position in the Holy See Secretariat of State.
Archbishop Mennini was appointed the Pope’s representative to Great Britain in December 2010 and began his mission in the UK in February 2011. He leaves after six years service following his appointment by Pope Francis to the Vatican’s diplomatic and political body.
“On behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, I congratulate him on his appointment and thank him for the attentive concern he has shown for the Catholic Church in Scotland on his many visits to our country,” Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow said. “He has always been a welcome guest in Scotland and his wise counsel has been valued by the Scottish Bishops.
“I thank His Excellency for the sensitive and helpful way he has fulfilled his role as the representative of the Holy Father to our Bishops’ Conference and to the Catholic Church in Scotland, and for his readiness to convey the specific reality of the Catholic Church in Scotland to the Holy See. On behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland and of the entire Catholic community, I assure him of our prayers as he embarks on his new mission.”
Archbishop Mennini was born in Rome in 1947 and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1981. On July 8, 2000, Pope John Paul II nominated him as Titular Archbishop of Ferento and Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria.
He received Episcopal Ordination in Rome on September 12, 2000. In 2002 he was transferred to Russia and in 2009, following full diplomatic relations being established between the Holy See and Russia, he became the country’s first Apostolic Nuncio. He will take up his new post in the Vatican next month.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, said: “On behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and in the name of the entire Catholic community, I express our warmest thanks to His Excellency for the service he has given to the Church in our countries.
“He has been most attentive and sensitive to our needs and situation, while always representing the Holy Father with precision and clarity and sharing insights into the needs of the Universal Church.
“His presence amongst us bishops has always been that of a brother and we have never failed to appreciate his kindness and hospitality.
“We now wish him well in his new appointment to which he will bring insight and wisdom. We assure him of our prayers for this mission and for his own health and well-being.”
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