His Grace Archbishop Giorgio Zur, who served the Vatican diplomatic services for more than five decades, including two times in India, died on January 8 in Rome, the Secretariat of State in the Vatican has informed. His Excellency Archbishop Zur served Vatican embassies or nunciatures in India, Burundi and Uganda. In India, he was first the secretary of the apostolic nunciature.
In 1972, His Excellency Archbishop Zur joined the Secretariat of State in the Vatican. He became a full-fledged ambassador when he was appointed the apostolic pro-nuncio in Zambia, Africa, in 1979. In 1985, he was transferred as apostolic nuncio to Paraguay. In 1990, he returned to India as apostolic nuncio, a post he kept for eight years. In 1998, he became the president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome.
Two years later he was appointed apostolic nuncio to the Russian Federation, and in 2002 to Austria. He retired on in 2005.
Source: www.mattersindia.com
