Archbishop Adriano Bernardini, former Apostolic Nuncio to Italy, dies aged 83

Archbishop Adriano Bernardini, former Apostolic Nuncio to Italy and San Marino, has died at the age of 83. His death occurred on 11 September at the Villa del Rosario nursing home in Rome, where he had been hospitalised for six weeks.

Born in Piandimeleto, in the Italian diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro, on 13 August 1942, Archbishop Bernardini devoted his life to the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

He studied at the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary and the Pontifical Lateran University, where he gained a doctorate in canon law, before completing his formation at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Ordained priest in 1968, he entered the Vatican’s diplomatic corps soon after.

His early assignments took him to postings in Pakistan, Angola, Japan, Venezuela, Spain and Taiwan. During the civil war in Angola in 1975, he was expelled from the country, an experience that marked his years of service in troubled realms.

In 1992, St John Paul II appointed him titular Archbishop of Faleri and Apostolic Nuncio to Bangladesh. His subsequent career saw him represent the Holy See across Asia and the Indian Ocean, with responsibility for Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia, alongside numerous other apostolic delegations.

In 2003, he was named nuncio to Argentina, a post he held until 2011. His time in Buenos Aires coincided with growing tensions within the Argentine Church and his relationship with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis but then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was often strained.

Archbishop Bernardini did not hesitate to criticise the future Pope, a stance which shaped perceptions of him long afterwards.

Pope Benedict XVI later appointed him nuncio to Italy and San Marino, a role of particular importance given the Holy See’s close ties with the Italian episcopate. He served there until his retirement in 2017.

Despite his seniority and the length of his diplomatic career, Archbishop Bernardini was never elevated to the cardinalate. Observers have linked this to his history with Pope Francis and to other associations he cultivated over the years. Some within the Church urged his promotion to the cardinalate, but the honour was not granted.

Archbishop Bernardini spent his final weeks in declining health before his death on Thursday afternoon. His funeral will take place on Monday, 15 September, at 3 p.m.

Photo: Secretaria de Culto, 1 December 2011. (Credit: MRECIC ARG.)