Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski was born in Pisz (Poland) on May 8, 1970. Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Ełk on June 15, 1996, he graduated in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University.
He joined the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See on July 1, 2004, and has worked in the Pontifical Representations in Senegal, in the International Organizations in Vienna, in Poland and in the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Secretariat of State.
outlines the contribution of the Holy See's diplomatic action with regard to contemporary issues and its ability to impact concrete problems.
How did the Pontifical Legates come into being and to what extent do their features shape the action and role of Apostolic Nuncios today?
- The dispatch of the first representatives of the Holy See, named Apocrisari (in Latin Responsible), was linked to the fact that they were to intercede on behalf of the interests of the Apostolic See and express their request to the imperial court.
Its permanent establishment did not take place until the 6th century, with the papacy of Agapito I, although at that time they had no right of jurisdiction. The last apocrisarius acted in 743 at the court of Emperor Constantine V, where we find him with the task of reporting the instructions of Pope Zacharias during the first phase of the conflict of the images, in confrontation with the iconoclasts.
Historiography teaches us that heresy was seen as a factor of disorder, as something that had to be curbed in order to maintain and preserve a balanced coexistence, so the presence of the Apocrysiar was one more reason to maintain a balanced development of society and avoid conflicts.
The custom of representation by the Bishop of Rome, however, originated prior to the figure of the Apocrisarius, with the sending of Legates to Councils and Synods.
The first certain testimony of this representation is found in the Council of Arles in 314, where the Bishop of Rome, Sylvester, sent the presbyters Clodius and Vitus and the deacons Eugenius and Cyril to "take" his place.
The transition between Antiquity and the Middle Ages saw the emergence of yet another figure representing the Holy See, the so-called Vicar Apostolic, charged primarily with regulating ecclesiastical relations in the various parts of Europe and confirming the primacy of Rome in the various Churches.
From the second half of the ninth century onwards, especially with the Pope Nicholas IThe custom of sending legates from Rome to resolve the most difficult issues in which the litigants appealed to Rome became widespread.
The emergence in the 15th century of the great nation states is at the origin of a change of pace on the front of pontifical diplomacy. Is this the case?
- The Holy See sent Bishop Angelo Leonini to Venice as apostolic nuncio on April 30, 1500, thus initiating a stable representation before the States.
The activity of the pontifical representatives reached its peak in the period of the Peace of Westphalia, in 1648, where a new arrangement of Europe and a new way of conceiving relations and power between states was decided.
The Congress of Vienna then confirmed the previous custom of granting precedence to the Nuncios and Representatives of the Pope.
A new impulse to the missionary work of the Church was given by Gregory XVI, with special attention to the Near East.
The first Apostolic Delegation was created in 1827 with the appointment of Bishop Losana as Apostolic Delegate of Mount Lebanon. It would be the Pontificate of Leo XIII that gave greater vigor and importance to the Nuncios and Legates to the Catholic peoples.
Leo XIII himself affirmed this on August 20, 1880 in an address to the Cardinals: it is the right of the Roman Pontiff to have in certain places someone who represents his person and permanently exercises his jurisdiction and authority.
From a normative point of view, what are the precise references of the law of legation and how should they be interpreted in relation to the special nature of the Holy See?
- In 1917, the Code of Canon Lawwhere canon 265 establishes the basis for the Roman Pontiff's legations, affirming his right to send his legates wherever he wishes.
The foundation of this right is closely related to its mission towards all the Churches scattered throughout the world, with which it must communicate and through which it must evangelize those who do not yet believe. Free and independent of any civil power, also because it concerns the relationship between the Roman Pontiff and the Bishops.
To better understand the role of the Pontifical Representatives, the Holy See has two meanings: in a broad sense, it is the Roman Pontiff with the Roman Curia; strictly speaking, the Holy See is the Roman Pontiff as supreme authority.
For international law, only and exclusively the figure of the Roman Pontiff, i.e., the Holy See in the strict sense, is relevant. In the CIC of 1983, the function of the Apostolic Nuncios Canon 362 specifies: "The Roman Pontiff has the original and independent right to appoint and send his Legates both to the particular Churches of the various nations or regions and to the States and Public Authorities, as well as to transfer and dismiss them, respecting, however, the norms of international law concerning the sending and dismissal of Legates accredited to Governments".
The right of the Roman Pontiff to send his own Legates is therefore defined by two precise terms: native and independent. Can you specify its content and scope?
- By original right is meant an original right belonging to the Pontiff as head of the universal Church and depositary of the primary responsibility to provide for its needs.
The expression independent law, instead, it means that the Holy See does not depend on any other power and, therefore, no limits are imposed on it, not even when it carries out its international activity.
The best explanation of the right affirmed in canon 362 is found in the preamble to canon 362. Motu proprio Sollicitudo Omnium EcclesiarumIn this document, the theological and pastoral reasons for the functions of the Pontifical Representatives are set forth with effectiveness and clarity: "The solicitude of all the Churches, to which we have been called by the arcane will of God and for which we will one day have to give an account, demands that, sent as representatives of Christ to all peoples, we make ourselves adequately present in all the regions of the earth and that we seek an exact and complete knowledge of the conditions of each of the Churches".
The Bishop of Rome, in fact, by virtue of his office, has full, supreme and universal power over the whole Church, which he can always exercise freely [...] Through Our Representatives, who reside in the various nations, We become sharers in the very life of Our children and, as if inserting Ourselves in it, We come to know, in a more rapid and certain way, their needs and aspirations at the same time".
The diplomatic thrust of the Holy See has been relevant in building a harmonious and peaceful international community, thanks to actions that have sometimes contributed to the resolution of difficult crises or brought international issues to the attention of global governance. How to reconcile the primary role of the Nuncio with the yearning for the protection of every human person?
- The Legates of the Holy See are at the service of the Catholic Church and not of a State, whose members do not live in a specific territory, but are dispersed throughout the world. Consequently, the objectives guiding diplomatic activity are not limited to the faithful of the Catholic Church, but the activity of the Nuncios is often an opportunity to draw the attention of the international community to the various issues affecting the religious freedom of every believer.
In this way, the Holy See concretely realizes the goal of enhancing and protecting the dignity of every human person. There is also a "visual" aspect to the action of the Nuncios, which derives from the specific ecclesial nature of the Holy See's diplomacy, and that is the priestly or episcopal character of the pontifical representatives.
Pope John XXIII established in 1962 that the Apostolic Nuncios, even from the beginning of their mission - and not only a few years later, as under the pontificate of Pius XII - were conferred the episcopal dignity, not as a matter of honor, but to better underline the function of liaison between the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops of the local Churches.
The ecclesiastical nature of pontifical diplomacy carries within itself a natural attention to all dimensions of human life, and for this very reason it should not be forgotten that a whole series of questions which, on the other hand, are of primary interest to the diplomacy of States, remain outside the scope of the diplomacy of the Holy See: for example, political alliances, military structures, commercial and financial relations, the promotion of tourism, etc.All these areas of action are of no interest to the diplomacy of the Holy See, except, occasionally, for possible moral implications.
Paul VI asked himself some questions that still resurface from time to time: does the Holy See have reason to use this form of activity called diplomacy? Is it not totally foreign to the nature and purpose of the Church? Does it not run the risk of assimilating the Church to institutions and organisms of the temporal order, with which it cannot and should not be confused?
- The same Pontiff emphasized that the diplomatic activity of the Holy See responds in a very appropriate way to the current evolution of international life and to the present needs of the mission that the Church must fulfill in the contemporary world, that mission of which the Second Vatican Council spoke, solemnly affirming that the Church is called to render decisive assistance to society, strengthening and completing the union of the human family. And it is precisely this action that the Holy See intends to carry out through its pontifical representatives: to contribute to the strengthening of the bonds between nations, in a loyal reciprocity, attentive to the recognition of the rights and duties of each one. The responsibility to protect fundamental human rights is therefore connatural to the very nature of the Church.
Suffice it to recall that the proclamation of the Gospel has never been divorced from charity and concern for those most in need. Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, speaking at the General Assembly of the United Nations, consciously declared that the role of the Church on the international scene is that of "expert in humanity".
Pope Francis reiterated this foundational idea during his meeting with the members of the UN General Assembly: "Integral human development and the full exercise of human dignity cannot be imposed. They must be built and realized by each individual, by each family, in communion with other human beings and in right relationship with all the environments in which human sociability develops.
Without the recognition of certain insurmountable natural ethical limits and without the immediate application of these pillars of integral human development, the ideal of "saving future generations from the scourge of war" (Charter of the United Nations, Preamble) and of "promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom" risks becoming an unattainable mirage or, worse still, empty words that serve as an excuse for any abuse and corruption, or for promoting ideological colonization through the imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles alien to the identity of peoples and, ultimately, for promoting ideological colonization through the imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles alien to the identity of peoples, worse, empty words that serve as an excuse for any abuse and corruption, or to promote ideological colonization through the imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles alien to the identity of peoples and, ultimately, irresponsible".
Can we draw a identikit of the Apostolic Nuncio in the light of the Magisterium of Pope Francis?
- On the occasion of the Jubilee of Mercy, on September 17, 2016, Pope Francis recalled how the Apostolic Nuncio must "auscultate" the heart of the Pope and let his "breath" reach the Churches of the world by getting involved, traveling, meeting and dialoguing with everyone. He must support and not only correct, he must distance himself from gossipers and careerists, he must not promote "friends of friends" or embrace political lines or ideological battles, he must avoid personalistic visions, overcome bureaucratic logic and propose names of candidates to the Episcopate who are true witnesses of the Risen One and not "bearers of résumés".
The Pope invited his representatives to be wherever they are in the world "wholeheartedly, with undivided minds and hearts". In addition to observing, analyzing and informing, it is necessary for the Apostolic Nuncio to meet, listen, dialogue, share, propose and work together, so that sincere love, sympathy and empathy with the people and the local Church may shine forth; therefore, the gaze of the Pontifical Representative must be broad and deep.
Also on that occasion, Pope Francis asked that in carrying out his function and in the enormous task of guaranteeing the Church's freedom from any form of power that wants to silence the truth, he not limit himself to understandings, agreements or diplomatic negotiations, but work so that the Church can be free to announce the Gospel to all, in all places, on all occasions, without delay, without repulsion and without fear. In this sense, the Pontifical Representative will not embrace political lines or ideological battles, because the permanence of the Church rests on fidelity to her Lord.
An important part of the Nuncio's work is to be a "man of reconciliation" and mediation, impartial and objective in his encounters with each person, favoring communion on every occasion. Finally, the Nuncio is also a hard-working and charitable man, who works for peace and lavishes himself in works of charity, especially towards the poor and marginalized, thus fulfilling his mission and his role as father and pastor.
