The Apostolic Nunciature in Pretoria has announced the arrival of its new Secretary, Monsignor Giacomo Antonicelli, who officially took up his duties on September 2, 2025. His appointment follows the reassignment of Monsignor Dario Paviša to the Apostolic Nunciature in Zambia and Malawi.

In a letter addressed to the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), the Apostolic Nuncio to Southern Africa, Archbishop Henryk M. Jagodziński, expressed gratitude for Monsignor Paviša’s years of dedicated service and warmly welcomed Monsignor Antonicelli. “May his presence and service be guided by the Holy Spirit and bear abundant fruit for the good of the Church and the people of this land,” Archbishop Jagodziński wrote.

Monsignor Antonicelli, a priest of the Diocese of Castellaneta in Italy, arrived at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday, where he was received by Archbishop Jagodziński and Monsignor Tuomo Vimpari, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, who was visiting South Africa at the time. Following his arrival, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to Cardinal Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Johannesburg and President of the SACBC, before proceeding to the Nunciature, where staff members gave him a warm welcome.

This appointment is not Monsignor Antonicelli’s first encounter with the Nunciature in Pretoria. During his formation at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, he completed his diplomatic internship at the same mission, an experience that familiarised him early with the local Church in Southern Africa.

Born on 3 October 1985 in Mottola, Italy, Monsignor Giacomo Antonicelli was ordained a priest on 16 June 2012. He trained at the Pontifical Regional Seminary of Puglia “Pio XI”, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology in 2011.

In his home Diocese of Castellaneta, he served as Vice Rector of the Diocesan Minor Seminary “John Paul II” (2011–2016), Director of the Diocesan Youth Pastoral Service (2013–2016), and Private Secretary to the Bishop (2014–2016).

He began training for the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 2016 and earned a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in 2020, writing on “The Participation of Lay People in the Diplomatic Activity of the Holy See.”

Monsignor Antonicelli entered the diplomatic service on 1 July 2020 and was first assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature in Honduras. In March 2024, he was named Chaplain of His Holiness. On 1 July 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed him Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in South Africa, with responsibilities also extending to Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, and Botswana.

Shortly after his arrival, Monsignor Antonicelli accompanied Archbishop Jagodziński on a courtesy visit to Archbishop Dabula Anthony Mpako, Metropolitan Archbishop of Pretoria. There they were received by Monsignor Amos Masemola, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, and members of the archdiocesan staff.

During the meeting, it was recalled that Monsignor Antonicelli had previously been present in Pretoria in 2019 during the conferral of the pallium upon Archbishop Mpako, while undertaking his internship at the Nunciature. Later that day, he also met with Fr Hugh O’Connor, Secretary General of the SACBC, who welcomed him with a gift on behalf of the Conference.

From his first days in Pretoria, Monsignor Antonicelli has thrown himself into the mission of the Apostolic Nunciature, engaging in meetings with Church leaders and reconnecting with a region that he had already come to know during his years of formation.

His appointment marks both a return and a new beginning—strengthening the diplomatic and pastoral mission of the Holy See in Southern Africa.