Vatican City — The appointment had been anticipated for months — and not without friction. This morning the Holy See Press Office officially announced that Pope Leo XIV has named Archbishop Piero Pioppo as Apostolic Nuncio to Spain and the Principality of Andorra. Behind the decree, however, lies a story that Silere non possum revealed on 29 July 2025: the Spanish government had issued an informal veto of the candidate proposed by the Holy See, provoking irritation across the Tiber.
According to multiple reconstructions, the government led by Pedro Sánchez never filed a formal refusal through diplomatic channels; instead, it let its opposition be known indirectly. As sources in the Secretariat of State explain, the move reflected a broader climate of tension between the Catholic Church and political authorities in Spain. “Out of pique,” people on the Third Loggia recounted, “they signaled they did not want this name — not a formal reply, but a de facto veto meant to slow the appointment and telegraph displeasure with positions taken by the Spanish bishops.”
The article published by Silere non possum in July altered the dynamics. Going public increased the pressure on Madrid, which then softened its line, speaking of procedural timing and denying a real refusal — delays that nevertheless appeared disproportionate. “That public disclosure,” figures in the Curia note, “proved an effective lever to hasten the decision. The story was picked up across Spain, the government rushed to deny it, and in the end it conveyed its agrément.”
The return to Europe of a Ligurian diplomat
With this appointment, the Savona-born prelate Piero Pioppo returns to Europe after years in delicate postings across Asia.
Who is Archbishop Pioppo?
Born in Savona on 29 September 1960 and ordained a priest in 1985, he holds a degree in dogmatic theology. He entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1993, with assignments in Korea, Chile, and the Secretariat of State. Close to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, he served as Prelate of the IOR (2006–2010), a role that placed him at the center of numerous stories tied to Vatican finance. In 2010, Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea; since 2017, under Pope Francis, he has been Nuncio to Indonesia and representative to ASEAN. In Asia he also stood out for initiatives on environmental protection and international cooperation.
A choice that points to a “Ligurian school”
As Silere non possum noted in July, Pioppo’s appointment is not only the next step in the career of an experienced archbishop; it also sends a signal — an attempt to revive the “Ligurian school” that once carried weight in curial dynamics and that had fallen out of favor under Francis.
Spain — a stage for complex tensions between government and Church — thus remains a privileged vantage point for reading the evolving relationship between Vatican diplomacy and European politics.
d.F.A.
Silere non possum