Responding to questions from journalists, the “interim” Director of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, on July 8, 2019, stated the following:
I can confirm that the Holy See renounces jurisdictional immunity enjoyed by the Apostolic Nuncio in France, Msgr. Luigi Ventura, by virtue of the Vienna Convention of 18 April 1961 on diplomatic relations, for the purposes of criminal proceedings concerning him.
It is an extraordinary gesture that confirms the will of the Nuncio, expressed from the beginning of the story, to collaborate fully and spontaneously with the French judicial authorities, competent for the case. In order to take this decision, the Holy See awaited the conclusion of the preliminary phase of the procedure – communicated to it at the end of June – to which Msgr. Ventura has freely participated. The Holy See’s decision was officially communicated to the French authorities last week.
