Media Release

Bengaluru, Nov 20: The Church in India paid a moving tribute to the outgoing Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro, on Tuesday November 17, through a virtual session, attended by 120 bishops from the country. After almost four years of diplomatic and pastoral service in India, Archbishop Diquattro will be shortly taking up his new apostolic mission in Brazil.

Presiding over the online meeting, Fr Filipe Neri Ferrão, the president of the CCBI and archbishop of Goa and Daman, recalled the meritorious services of the Nuncio to the Church in India. “The CCBI is grateful to His Excellency for the excellent services rendered to the Church in India and to the CCBI,” remarked Archbishop Filipe Neri.

Fr Oswald Cardinal Gracias, the archbishop of Mumbai, who felicitated the dignitary, recalled his personal and brotherly relationship with him.

In his words of reply, the outgoing Vatican ambassador expressed his thanks to the bishops in India. “I had the grace to live useful and fruitful moments of dialogue, discernment and communion with the bishops of India thanks to your dedicated, generous, competent support and collaboration,” said Archbishop Giambattista.

Fr George Antonysamy, the vice-president of the CCBI and archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, welcomed the gathering. Fr Anil Couto, the secretary-general of the CCBI and Archbishop of Delhi, delivered a vote of thanks. Fr Prakash Mallavarapu, archbishop of Vizhakapattanam, led the virtual gathering into an initial prayer and Fr Thomas D’Souza, archbishop of Calcutta, said the concluding prayer.

On behalf of the bishops of India, the president felicitated the outgoing diplomat with a ‘virtual’ garland and bouquet. The online gathering concluded with the final apostolic blessing imparted by the outgoing Nuncio.

Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro had been holding the post of Apostolic Nuncio in India and Nepal since January 21, 2017. Before coming to India, he had been a Nuncio in Panama (2005-2008) and in Bolivia (2009-2017).