Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations

Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
Seal of the Permanent Observer Mission
Incumbent Gabriele Giordano Caccia since November 19, 2019
Nominator	The Pope
Inaugural holder	Alberto Giovannetti
Formation	1964; 60 years ago (1964)

The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations is the representative of the Holy See (Vatican) at the United Nations (UN). This diplomatic mission does not have the status of Permanent Representative because the Holy See is not a UN member. The Holy See has had observer state status since 1964, a status accorded only one other entity, the State of Palestine.

• The first diplomat the Holy See sent as its Permanent Observer, Alberto Giovannetti, was a priest rather than a bishop. He had not yet risen to the rank of apostolic nuncio, the senior rank of the Vatican diplomatic corps.
• The second Permanent Observer, Giovanni Cheli, was given the personal rank of nuncio and ordained a bishop in 1978 after five years representing the Holy See at the U.N.^[1][a] Since then all those appointed to the position have been titular archbishops with the rank of nuncio.

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