>JoeNMLC: Changing short description from "Diplomatic relations between the Republic of India and Holy See" to "Papal bilateral diplomacy" (Shortdesc helper)

2021-05-10T13:29:19Z

Changing short description from "Diplomatic relations between the Republic of India and Holy See" to "Papal bilateral diplomacy" (Shortdesc helper)

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{{Short description|Papal bilateral diplomacy}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{bilateral|India-Holy See|Holy See|India|map=Holy_See_India_Locator.png}}
'''India-Holy See relations''' refers to bilateral relations between the [[India]] and [[Holy See]], which is sovereign over the [[Vatican City]]. Formal bilateral relations between the two exist since 12 June 1948. An Apostolic Delegation existed from 1881. The Holy See has a [[Apostolic Nunciature to India|nunciature in New Delhi]] while India has accredited its embassy in [[Bern]], Switzerland to the Holy See as well. India's Ambassador in Bern has traditionally been accredited to the Holy See. In a break from tradition, it was announced in October 2020 that [[Jaideep Mazumdar]], India's ambassador to Austria would be the next ambassador to the Holy See. Archbishop [[Leopoldo Girelli]] was appointed as the Apostolic Nuncio to India in March 2021.

==History==
Connections between the [[Catholic church]] and India can be traced back to the apostle [[Thomas the Apostle|St. Thomas]], who, according to tradition, came to India in 52 AD.<ref>A. E. Medlycott, (1905) "India and the Apostle Thomas"; Gorgias Press LLC; {{ISBN|1-59333-180-0}}.</ref><ref name="Erwin Fahlbusch">[https://books.google.com/books?id=lZUBZlth2qgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:9780802824172&hl=en&sa=X&ei=i5ncVJiVJ4u4uATrlIGoAg&ved=0CB8Q6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=Muziris&f=true ''The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 5''] by Erwin Fahlbusch. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing - 2008. p. 285. {{ISBN|978-0-8028-2417-2}}.</ref><ref name="Brown1956">{{cite book|author=Leslie W. Brown|title=The Indian Christians of St Thomas, an Account of the Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20EvQwAACAAJ|year=1956|publisher=University Press}}</ref> Bishops were sent to India from Syria as early as the 6th or 7th centuries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14678a.htm |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Thomas Christians |website=Newadvent.org |date=1912-07-01 |access-date=2017-01-18}}</ref> There is a record of an Indian bishop visiting [[Rome]] at the time of [[Pope Callixtus II]] (1119–1124).<ref>Robert Silverberg, ''The Realm of Prester John'', pp. 29–34.</ref>

The [[diplomatic mission]] was established as the [[Apostolic Delegation]] to the East Indies in 1881, and included [[Ceylon]], and was extended to [[Malacca|Malaca]] in 1889, and then to [[Burma]] in 1920, and eventually included [[Goa]] in 1923. It was raised to an Internunciature by Pope [[Pius XII]] on 12 June 1948 and to a full Apostolic Nunciature by [[Pope Paul VI]] on 22 August 1967. India initially had a legation to the Holy See, with the Minister at Berne accredited as Minister to the Holy See.<ref>{{cite web |title=Report of the Ministry of External Affairs 1948-49 |url=https://mealib.nic.in/?pdf2475?000 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref> The Indian mission was raised to the status of an embassy led by an ambassador in 1965.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/speeches/1965/documents/hf_p-vi_spe_19650325_ambasciatore-india.html|title=To the first Ambassador of India to the Holy See (March 25, 1965) | Paul VI|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

==Bilateral visits==
There have been three Papal visits to India. The first Pope to visit India was [[Pope Paul VI]], who visited [[Mumbai]] in 1964 to attend the [[International Eucharistic Congress]]. Pope [[John Paul II]] visited several places in India including [[Chennai]] in February 1986<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://apostolicnunciatureindia.com/?page_id=858 | title=Apostolic Nunciature, India & Nepal}}</ref> and then again visited New Delhi in November 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/documents/ns_lit_doc_05111999_new-delhi_en.html |title=Pastoral Visit of His Holiness John Paul II to New Delhi |website=Vatican.va |access-date=2017-01-18}}</ref> Several Indian dignitaries have, from time to time, called on the Pope in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]]. These include Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] in 1955,<ref>{{cite news |title=Pope Tells Nehru Of Duty To Seek True World Peace |url=https://washingtondigitalnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CATHNWP19550715.2.3 |access-date=15 March 2021 |work=The Catholic Northwest Progress |date=15 July 1955|volume=58|number=28}}</ref> Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] in 1981 and Prime Minister [[I.K. Gujral]] in September 1997. [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]], Prime Minister, called on the Pope in June 2000 during his official visit to [[Italy]]. Vice-President [[Bhairon Singh Shekhawat]] represented the country at the [[funeral of Pope John Paul II]]. External Affairs minister [[Sushma Swaraj]] led a delegation to the Vatican for the canonisation function of [[Saint Teresa of Calcutta]] in September 2016, when she also called on [[Pope Francis]]. She was accompanied by the Chief Minister of [[West Bengal]], [[Mamata Banerjee]].

==Indian ambassadors to the Holy See==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!From
!Till
!Name
!Designation
|-
|1949
|1951
|[[Dhirajlal Bhulabhai Desai]]
|Minister
|-
|1951
|1952
|[[Nedyan Raghaven]]
|Minister
|-
|1952
|1953
|[[Asaf Ali]]
|Minister
|-
|1953
|1954
|[[Y. D. Gundevia|Yezdezard Dinshaw Gundevia]]
|Minister
|-
|1954
|1955
|[[Abid Hasan|Abid Hasan Safrani]]
|Chargé d'affaires
|-
|1955
|1958
|[[Mohan Sinha Mehta]]
|Minister
|-
|1958
|1961
|[[M. K. Vellodi]]
|Minister
|-
|1962
|1964
|[[Mohamed Abdul Rauf]]
|Minister
|-
|1964
|1965
|[[Vishnuprasad Chunilal Trivedi]]
|Minister
|-
|1965
|1967
|[[Vishnuprasad Chunilal Trivedi]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1968
|1970
|[[Mohamed Azim Husain]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1971
|1974
|[[Arjan Singh]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1974
|1977
|[[Avtar Singh (diplomat)|Avtar Singh]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1977
|1978
|[[Uma Shankar Bajpai]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1978
|1979
|[[Amba Prasad]]
|Chargé d'affaires
|-
|1979
|1981
|[[Gurbachan Singh]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1981
|1982
|[[Narendra Singh (diplomat)|Narendra Singh]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1982
|1985
|[[Thomas Abraham]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1985
|1986
|[[Om Parkash Aggarwal]]
|Chargé d'affaires
|-
|1986
|1990
|[[Ashoke Sen Chib]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1990
|1994
|[[Madhaw Keshav Mangalmurti]]
|Ambassador
|-
|1994
|2000
|[[Kizhakke Pisharath Balakrishnan]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2000
|2002
|[[Niranjan Natverlal Desai]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2002
|2005
|[[Praveen Lal Goyal]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2005
|2006
|[[Snehi Desh Bandhu]]
|Chargé d'affaires
|-
|2006
|2008
|[[Amitava Tripathi]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2008
|2009
|[[Ajaneesh Kumar]]
|Chargé d'affaires
|-
|2009
|2013
|[[Chitra Narayanan]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2013
|2014
|[[Nagendra Prasad]]
|Chargé d'affaires
|-
|2014
|2015
|[[M. K. Lokesh|Mysore Kapanaiah Lokesh]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2015
|2017
|[[Smitha Purushottam]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2017
|2020
|[[Sibi George]]
|Ambassador
|-
|2020
|present
|[[Jaideep Mazumdar]]
|Ambassador
|}
<small>Reference:</small> <ref>{{Cite web|title=DAS BEIM HL. STUHL AKKREDITIERTE DIPLOMATISCHE KORPS – Die Apostolische Nachfolge|url=https://apostolische-nachfolge.de/willkommen-auf-https-apostolische-nachfolge-de/der-heilige-stuhl/das-beim-hl-stuhl-akkreditierte-diplomatische-korps/|access-date=2021-03-15|language=de-DE}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Apostolic Nunciature to India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/India-The_Holy_See_Relations_feb_2020.pdf ''India- Holy See relations'' - Ministry of External Affairs]

==External links==
* [http://apostolicnunciatureindia.com/?page_id=31 Apostolic Nunciature to India]

{{Foreign relations of the Holy See}}
{{Foreign relations of India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy See-India relations}}
[[Category:Holy See–India relations| ]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of India|Holy See]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of the Holy See|India]]

Holy See–India relations - Revision history

>JoeNMLC: Changing short description from "Diplomatic relations between the Republic of India and Holy See" to "Papal bilateral diplomacy" (Shortdesc helper)