New Vatican envoy to UN
Mgr Celestino Migliore, a ranking official in the Vatican Secretariat of State, has been appointed as the new representative of the Holy See at the UN. Mgr Migliore, whose new responsibility will entail promotion to the rank of archbishop, succeeds Archbishop Renato Martino, who has been appointed president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Archbishop-elect Migliore has been in Vatican diplomatic service since 1980, filling posts in Angola, the United States, Egypt, and Poland. Since 1995 he has worked at the Vatican, where his most recent assignment has been as under-secretary for relations with states - in effect, the second-ranking foreign affairs officer in the Secretariat of State. The 50-year-old prelate has recently handled several delicate assignments involving negotiations with countries that do not have formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See, such as Vietnam and North Korea. He recently visited Russia, where he held discussions with government officials on the expulsion of Catholic priests from that country. Source: Vatican Information Service