VATICAN CITY (UPI) Pope John Paul II yesterday named a Malteseprelate to serve as papal nuncio to Nicaragua, succeeding a veterandiplomat reportedly transferred because he was considered toofriendly to the Sandinistas.
Monsignor Paolo Giglio, 59, who began his career as a Vaticandiplomat in Nicaragua and is now charge d'affaires in Taiwan, alsowill be nuncio to Honduras.
A nuncio is the permanent official representative of the pope toa foreign government.
The Vatican announced without comment Tuesday that the presentnuncio to Nicaragua and Honduras, Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza diMontezemolo, 60, would become envoy to Uruguay.
The Turin newspaper La Stampa reported that Miguel CardinalObando y Bravo, the archbishop of Managua, had bluntly asked the popeat a recent audience to choose between himself and Cordero Lanza diMontezemolo, who advocated a dialogue with the Nicaraguan government.
La Stampa said the main reason for the Italian diplomat'stransfer was his clash with Obando y Bravo, a leading critic of theSandinistas.
The pope previously showed his support for Obando y Bravo'santi-Sandinista stand by making him Nicaragua's first cardinal lastMay.
Giglio, born in Malta in 1927 and ordained there in 1952,studied theology, canon law and diplomacy and also has a diploma asan archivist. He speaks English, Italian, Spanish and French.
The Vatican chose not to appoint another nuncio to Taiwan topave the way for establishing closer relations with Peking, Vaticansources have said.
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