Nicola Girasoli


Nicola Girasoli is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been Apostolic Nuncio to Peru since June 2017. He served as nuncio to Zambia and Malawi from 2006 until 2011 and nuncio to the Antilles and several other Caribbean nations from 2011 to 2017. He has been an archbishop since 2006.

Life

Born in Ruvo di Puglia, Girasoli was ordained to the priesthood on 15 June 1980 by Pope John Paul II. He earned a doctorate in canon law. To prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1981. He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 May 1985. His assignments included postings in Indonesia, Australia, Hungary, Belgium, the United States, and Argentina, as well as work in the Section for General Affairs of the Vatican Secretariat of State.
On 24 January 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him nuncio to Zambia and Malawi, and titular archbishop of Egnazia Appula. He received his episcopal consecration on 11 March from Cardinal Angelo Sodano, with Archbishop Robert Sarah, and Bishop Luigi Martella as co-consecrators.
On 29 October 2011, he was appointed apostolic delegate to the Antilles, and nuncio to Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Guyana. On 21 December 2011, he also became nuncio to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
On 16 June 2017, Pope Francis named him nuncio to Peru. In May 2018, he was mentioned as a possible candidate to fill the position of Substitute for General Affairs in the Secretariat of State because he was thought to be "very close to Pope Francis and agreeable to Cardinal Pietro Parolin", the Secretary of State.
In addition to Italian, he speaks English, French, and Spanish. He devoted several years to studying the rights of minorities and has written on the subject.

Writings