The Vatican appointed French prelate Dominique Mamberti as its new secretary for relations with other states on 15 September 2006, giving the 54-year-old the role equivalent to foreign minister in the world's smallest country. He succeeds Italian Giovanni Lajolo.
Mamberti's appointment came on the same day that Italian cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, 71, formally assumed duties as the Vatican's new head of government.
Speaking by telephone from Khartoum, where he serves as papal ambassador, Mamberti described interfaith and intercultural dialogue as among "the great questions" he intends to address in his new post. He declined to comment directly on the controversy surrounding Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks about Islam.
Born in 1952 in Marrakesh, Morocco, Mamberti studied law and politics before his ordination as a priest in 1981. He joined the Vatican administration in 1986 and has since represented the Holy See in Algeria, Chile, Lebanon, and at the United Nations. Since 2002 he has served as papal nuncio to Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.