Charles Personnaz, a Catholic Specializing in the Christian East, Is Appointed as France’s New Ambassador to the Holy See

Anne Van Merris

(ZENIT News / Paris, 04.27. 2026).- According to a decree published on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Charles Personnaz becomes France’s new representative to the Vatican, having been appointed «Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to the Holy See.» A historian and senior Catholic official, he had been Director of the French Heritage Institute in Paris since April 2019. He succeeds diplomat Florence Mangin, who held the position since 2022 and whose term ended last December.

Charles Personnaz’s diverse professional career has allowed him to maintain contact with numerous interlocutors in various countries around the world. He considers this appointment «a great honor» and hopes that this new role will allow him to «foster and cultivate dialogue between the Holy See and France.»

At 48, he holds degrees from Sciences Po Paris and the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA). He has held various positions in the Ministries of Defense and Culture, and was an external rapporteur for the Court of Auditors. While he is an international specialist in culture and heritage, he is also recognized for his experience and firm commitment to Christians in the Middle East: a valuable contribution in the particularly tense context of this region.

A member of the Association of Eastern Christians for 20 years, Charles Personnaz has also chaired the Fund for Schools in the Middle East since 2020. In 2018, he presented a report to the President of the Republic on strengthening France’s efforts to protect the heritage and support the educational network of Christian communities in the Middle East. He is also the author of numerous books, particularly on Notre-Dame de Paris, Byzantium, the heritage of the Eastern Churches, and Christian schools in the Middle East. The new Ambassador already met with Pope Leo XIV on April 10, as part of the delegation accompanying President Emmanuel Macron to the Vatican. He will therefore be in charge of preparations to receive the Pope, should his trip to France this autumn be confirmed.