The archbishop-elect will succeed Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, who was named in July as the permanent observer of the Holy See at the United Nations.
Giorgio Lingua was born in Fossano, Italy, in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1984.
He holds a degree in Canon Law and speaks French, Spanish and English.
Archbishop-elect Lingua entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1992, and has served in pontifical delegations in the Ivory Coast and the United States, in the section for relations with states of the Vatican Secretariat of State, and in the apostolic nunciatures in Italy and Serbia.
Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, told the Web site BaghdadHope that Iraq is «waiting for the new nuncio.»
«Although we still don’t know him, we are sure of his desire to work well for the good of Iraq and the Vatican,» he continued. «Iraq needs people who sacrifice themselves for the glory of the Lord and for the good of everyone.»
