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

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2003VATICA02663 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED