Antonio Franco

Who is Antonio Franco?

Antonio Franco is a Vatican diplomat.

He was ordained a Priest of Telese o Cerreto Sannita by Pope John Paul II, Italy on 10 July 1960 and appointed Titular Archbishop of Gallesium on 28 March 1992. He served as Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine between 1992 and 1999, and to the Philippines between 1999 and 2006.

In 2006, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Cyprus as well as Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine, where he presently serves.

In 2007, a dispute arose as the Vatican protested the inscription under Pius XII photograph in Yad Vashem, alleging the Pontiff did not act to save Jews during the war. Franco even threatened to boycott the Holocaust Memorial Ceremony as a result.

Franco retired from all his posts in August 2012.