BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON SILVANO TOMASI: NEW

UNCLAS VATICAN 002663 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) GENEVA ALSO FOR WTO E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: PREL PINR VT UN SUBJECT: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON SILVANO TOMASI: NEW HOLY SEE OBSERVER TO UN AND WTO IN GENEVA ¶1. POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS APPOINTED HIS NUNCIO TO ERITREA, ETHIOPIA AND DJIBOUTI, ARCHBISHOP SILVANO TOMASI (AN AMERICAN CITIZEN),AS THE HOLY SEE'S PERMANENT OBSERVER AT THE UN OFFICES AND SPECIALIST AGENCIES, AND TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION IN GENEVA. TOMASI REPLACES ARCHBISHOP DIARMUID MARTIN WHO HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO DUBLIN, IRELAND AS AN ASSISTANT BISHOP WITH RIGHT OF SUCCESSION. ¶2. SILVANO TOMASI WAS BORN IN CASONI DI MUSSOLENTE, IN THE NORTHERN ITALIAN PROVINCE OF VICENZA ON OCTOBER 12, 1940. HE ENTERED THE SEMINARY OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSIONARIES OF ST. CHARLES OR "SCALABRINIS" IN NEW YORK CITY AND WAS ORDAINED A PRIEST IN 1965. (NOTE. THE SCALABRINIS PROVIDE SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CARE FOR MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES. THEY OPERATE IN 24 NATIONS ON ALL FIVE CONTINENTS RUNNING SHELTERS FOR REFUGEES, MIGRANTS IN TRANSIT, AND DEPORTED ALIENS. THEY ALSO PROVIDE SEAFARER CENTERS, RETIREMENT VILLAGES FOR ELDERLY MIGRANTS, AND CENTERS FOR MIGRATION STUDIES. THE SCALABRINIS ALSO PUBLISH NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES AND PRODUCE RADIO AND TELEVISION PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY FOR MIGRANT POPULATIONS. END NOTE). ¶3. TOMASI HOLDS A DOCTORATE IN SOCIAL SCIENCES FROM NEW YORK'S FORDHAM UNIVERSITY. FROM 1965 UNTIL 1974 HE WORKED IN PAROCHIAL MINISTRY, LECTURED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, WAS DIRECTOR OF NEW YORK'S CENTER FOR MIGRATION STUDIES AND EDITOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW. FROM 1975-1980 AND 1987-1989 TOMASI SERVED AS SUPERIOR OF THE NEW YORK PROVINCE (U.S. EAST COAST, CANADA, VENEZUELA AND COLOMBIA) OF THE SCALABRINI MISSIONARIES. IN 1983 HE BECAME THE FIRST DIRECTOR OF THE U.S. BISHOPS CONFERENCE OFFICE FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES. TOMASI WAS CALLED TO ROME IN 1989 TO SERVE AS SECRETARY (NUMBER TWO) AT THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE SIPDIS PASTORAL CARE OF MIGRANTS AND ITINERANT PEOPLES. POPE JOHN PAUL II APPOINTED HIM AS NUNCIO IN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA IN ¶1996. TOMASI WAS ORDAINED AN ARCHBISHOP THE SAME YEAR. IN 2000 HIS ACCREDITATION WAS EXTENDED TO DJIBOUTI. HE ALSO SERVED AS THE HOLY SEE'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ORGANIZATION FOR AFRICAN UNITY. THE POPE NOMINATED HIM AS THE HOLY SEE'S PERMANENT OBSERVER AT THE UN OFFICES AND SPECIALIST AGENCIES AND TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION IN GENEVA ON JUNE 10, 2003. ¶4. COMMENT: GIVEN ARCHBISHOP TOMASI'S STRONG INTEREST IN MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, WE EXPECT HIM TO BE A FORCEFUL ADVOCATE ON THOSE ISSUES AT THE UNHCR AND RELATED AGENCIES. TOMASI, LIKE HIS PREDECESSOR MARTIN, STANDS OUT AMONG HOLY SEE DIPLOMATS IN THAT HE DID NOT PASS THROUGH THE ECCLESIASTICAL ACADEMY -- THE VATICAN'S PRESTIGIOUS DIPLOMATIC TRAINING SCHOOL. HIS BACKGROUND IS MORE WITHIN THE CHURCH'S "GRASS ROOTS." THE ARCHBISHOP IS KNOWN TO BE A REALIST, BUT QUINTESSENTIALLY DIPLOMATIC. HIS TERM IN ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA HAS MADE HIM PARTICULARLY ATTUNED TO THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE SITUATION OF DEVELOPING NATIONS. VATICAN WATCHERS SAY TOMASI WILL BRING FLAIR TO HIS WORK, COMBINING AMERICAN REALISM WITH ITALIAN SUBTLETY -- TRAITS THAT STOOD OUT WHEN HE SERVED ON THE HOLY SEE'S ACTIVE DELEGATION AT THE UN'S 1994 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN CAIRO. END COMMENT. HARDT NNNN 2003VATICA02663 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED