Permanent Mission of the Holy See in Geneva

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Permanent Mission of the Holy See in Geneva

Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.

This is Vatican City's 'embassy' to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. It is headed by an Apostolic Nuncio, which comes from the Latin word for envoy, who holds the ranking of an ambassador. The current Apostolic Nuncio is Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi who was appointed to his current position by Pope John Paul II in 2003.

17/07/2026

• Points of Encounter •

In this episode of Points of Encounter, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See in Geneva, answers a question on decent work.

„Decent work is about survival, but not merely about it. It’s about dignity and the very essence of human flourishing.” 📜

Through work, people provide for themselves and their families, and discover a sense of purpose and belonging within society. The Nuncio recalls that the international community has recognised this — in Sustainable Development Goal 8 and in the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, born from the understanding that decent work is indispensable for reducing poverty and enhancing lives. 📚

15/07/2026

• Points of Encounter•

In this episode of Points of Encounter, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See in Geneva, answers a question on the death penalty. 📝

“The dignity of the person is not lost after the commission of very serious crimes.”

The Nuncio explains why the death penalty is today inadmissible: not a change in doctrine, but a deepened understanding of human dignity, of the purpose of penal sanctions, and of the more effective systems of detention that now protect citizens without depriving the guilty of the possibility of redemption. 📚

09/07/2026

• Points of Encounter •

Two roads lie ahead of us, Pope Leo XIV writes in Magnifica humanitas: dialogue, responsibility and collaboration - or Babel. 📃
In this Points of Encounter, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Permanent Observer of the Holy See, explains what is at stake on the second road. Human worthiness, he says, is not measured by productivity or by economic criteria alone. It is inherent in each of us, and the machine should uphold that truth. 📚

06/07/2026

• Points of Encounter •

“Governance cannot be a private affair.”

As the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance opens in Geneva (6–7 July) 🌍, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See, explains why the Holy See engages with artificial intelligence.

AI, he says, must not become “the pawn of few powerful companies,” but be treated as a public good; with adequate safeguards, proper governance and a clear system of accountability.

The Holy See brings the principles of Catholic social teaching to every discussion on AI: the dignity of the person, solidarity, subsidiarity, the common good, the preferential option for the poor 🕊️

06/07/2026

At the opening of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva this morning, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin cited the first Encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas — on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence 🤝

“Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas mentions the word dialogue 34 times. 34 times. Recognizing that while many ideological and practical differences exist among us as people, amid our diverse interests and sometimes frequent disagreements, it is always possible to engage in dialogue, to establish a set of basic agreements that enable the creation of a shared vision upon which everyone can move forward together. I believe that is what we are here to do.”

📖 The full text of the Encyclical is on vatican.va.
Geneva is given to this conversation all week — the Global Dialogue on AI Governance (6–7 July) and the AI for Good Global Summit (7–10 July). Follow the Mission here for the Holy See’s engagement as the week unfolds 🕊️

04/07/2026

• Points of Encounter •

The Holy See’s Ambassador and Permanent Observer in Geneva, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, reflects on how the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, will engage the international community, and on the close attention his voice is drawing among the diplomatic corps in Geneva. 🌍

At the heart of it are three words the Holy Father named when he first addressed the Diplomatic Corps: peace, justice and truth, which he called the pillars of the Church’s mission and the aim of the Holy See’s diplomacy.

Not words alone, but the guiding stars of the Holy See’s engagement, destined to shape the debates of the international community and to inspire the Holy Father’s action. 🕊️

03/07/2026

The Week in His Words: 27 June to 3 July 🕊️

A brief look at Pope Leo XIV’s week, drawn to the moments that speak to the work of this Mission in Geneva: the Christian vocation to peace in a world marked by war and division, and the dignity owed to every human being, from the most vulnerable outward.

Across the week the Holy Father closed the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals with an appeal for peace (27 June), celebrated the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul and conferred the pallium on thirty-five new metropolitan archbishops (29 June), and received the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (30 June).

His own words follow, in the slides.

🔗 The full texts are available on vatican.va.

01/07/2026

• Points of Encounter •

The Holy See’s Ambassador and Permanent Observer in Geneva, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, reflects on the ministry of the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.

As Leo XIII confronted the social question of the nineteenth century, so Pope Leo XIV takes up the new frontiers of our own, among them the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence and their bearing on the dignity of the human person and the meaning of work.

Above all, the Archbishop notes the Holy Father’s call to prayer and his concern for peace in a divided world. 🙏

It is a summons for Christians to be a sign of hope for all. 🕊️

29/06/2026

📍 The 62nd session of the Human Rights Council is underway in Geneva, and over the coming days we’ll be sharing key interventions delivered by the Holy See.

We begin with the right to education. 📚 On 18 June, H.E. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero reminded the Council that education must be directed toward the integral formation of the whole person, intellectual and moral, social and spiritual, and offered three reflections:

1️⃣ Information is not knowledge. The rush to accumulate facts can crowd out the patient work of study, reflection and discernment. Education is a longer journey, requiring time.

2️⃣ Technology must serve, not replace. As artificial intelligence reshapes the classroom, it should support teachers and enrich relationships, never substitute for them.

3️⃣ The family is the first teacher. Parents are the first educators of their children, and public authorities have a duty to protect and enable that right.

The present moment, he said, calls for “a renewed educational alliance among families, schools and public authorities.”

🔗 Read the full statement at holyseegeneva.org/statements, link in bio.

05/04/2026

✨ Dear Friends, Christ the Lord is risen! Alleluia! ✨

This is the joyful truth at the heart of our faith — the victory of life over death, hope over despair, and love over sin.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!” (Luke 24:5–6)

The Resurrection reminds us that darkness never has the final word. Even in a world marked by suffering and uncertainty, Easter proclaims that peace is possible, reconciliation is possible, and new life is possible.

“Peace be with you” (John 20:19) — these words of the Risen Christ are not only a greeting, but a mission. We are called to bring this peace into our families, our communities, and our world 🤍

May the Risen Lord fill your hearts with hope, strengthen your faith, and bless your loved ones.

🌿 Wishing you a blessed, joyful, and peaceful Easter!

Alleluia! He is truly risen! ✨

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https://www.holyseegeneva.org/

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