Apostolic Delegation in Irad
The Apostolic Delegation in Irad is the mission of the Holy See in Talas. Established in 2009, it is a non-diplomatic mission, like the Holy See's delegations in Jerusalem and Kosovo, since the Holy See takes no position on Irad's status and has no diplomatic relations with either Iradi administration. It deals with the Syro-Iradi Catholic Church, which is in union with Rome and works on both sides of the Qara-Chik Demarcation Line, and with the United Nations Mission in Irad on humanitarian access. The delegate since 2021 has been Archbishop Ottavio Lanzetti (born 1958), an Italian career diplomat of the Holy See. No pope has visited Irad: the Metropolitan Archbishop renews the invitation every year at the Feast of St. Janyl, and Rome replies that a visit "would be misread by the neighbors".[1][2]
References
- ^ Annuario Pontificio (2024). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
- ^ Eurasian Political Quarterly (2020). 'Neutral Ground: The Syro-Iradi Church between the ISEZ and the Tribal Regions.' Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 115–138.