The papal nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto has been praised as a man who "listened and observed and supported the local church and indeed had a great affection for the church in Ireland."
The Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev Diarmuid Martin was commenting following a weekend announcement that Archbishop Lazzarotto is to be transferred as papal nuncio to Australia. Expressing his good wishes, Archbishop Martin said the departing nuncio had "acquired a great knowledge of the Irish church and of the cultural and political situation in Ireland".
Archbishop Lazzarotto had never lost touch with the pastoral dimensions of his mission, he said. "He was delighted to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation in a number of Dublin parishes each year and his words were always greatly appreciated by children, families, clergy and teachers alike," he said.
He noted that "in Australia Archbishop Lazzarotto will bear responsibilities connected with World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney and with the visit to Australia of Pope Benedict XVI.
"I wish him every blessing in his new assignment."
Titular Archbishop of Numana, Archbishop Lazzarotto has been papal nuncio to Ireland since November 11th, 2000.
Prior to his arrival here he had been nuncio to Jordan and Iraq from 1994, which involved negotiating directly with Saddam Hussein.
He was already familiar with Ireland before 2000 as desk officer for Ireland between 1984 and 1994 at the Vatican's Secretariat of State's section for relations with states.
Ordained in 1967 at Padua, he entered the Vatican's diplomatic service in 1971. Later he worked in Zambia, Malawi, Belgium, Cuba and Jerusalem.