The Most Rev. Claudio Gugerotti, the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain and the titular archbishop of Rebellum, will deliver the Keeley Vatican Lecture at 12:30 p.m. Sep. 21 (Wednesday). Due to his attendance at the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, this lecture will now take place online. Titled “My Contacts with St. John Paul II at the Fall of the Soviet Union,” the lecture may be viewed on the Nanovic Institute website and YouTube channel. 

A native of Verona, Italy, Archbishop Gugerotti was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Verona in 1982. He obtained degrees in Eastern languages and sacred liturgy and, between 1981 and 1985, taught patristics, theology and Eastern liturgy at the Institute of Ecumenical Studies and San Zeno Theological Institute, both in Verona. In 1985, Archbishop Gugerotti was appointed as an official at the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and became its undersecretary in 1997. Since December 2001, he has been apostolic nuncio — the pope’s representative — to Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine and, from July 2020, Great Britain.  

“While serving as an apostolic nuncio for over 20 years in six different nations, Archbishop Gugerotti has become one of the Church’s most experienced, respected and accomplished diplomats,” University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., said. “Having recently concluded his mission in Ukraine — where I first met him — in order to become the pope’s representative to the United Kingdom, Archbishop Gugerotti has ably advocated for the Church’s diplomatic positions on some of Europe’s most pressing challenges. I am grateful that he will deliver the Keeley Vatican Lecture and share his experience and wisdom.”

“We look forward to welcoming Archbishop Gugerotti to Notre Dame, albeit virtually,” said Clemens Sedmak, director of the Nanovic Institute and professor of social ethics in the Keough School of Global Affairs, who will provide the introduction. “The archbishop brings with him a breadth of experience that is unique and highly relevant, particularly from his time as the pope’s representative in Ukraine. The annual Keeley Vatican Lecture aims to support Notre Dame’s distinctive goal of providing a forum where Catholic thought can intersect, in free and open discussion, with all forms of human knowledge. We continue to be grateful to our benefactor and friend Terry Keeley for the generosity that makes this lecture series possible.” 

The Keeley Vatican Lecture, facilitated annually by the Nanovic Institute, provides a way to deepen Notre Dame’s connection to the Holy See by bringing distinguished representatives from the Vatican to explore questions surrounding the University’s Catholic mission. Established in 2005 through the generous support of 1981 alumnus Terrence R. Keeley, lecturers typically spend several days on campus, joining classes, celebrating Mass with students and conversing with faculty members.

Past Keeley Vatican Lectures have included Rev. Fr. Hans Zollner, Barbara Jatta, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher and Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak. An archive of videos of past lectures is available here.

An integral part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, the Nanovic Institute seeks to enrich the intellectual culture of Notre Dame by creating an integrated, interdisciplinary home for students, faculty and visiting scholars to explore the evolving ideas, cultures, traditions, beliefs, moral challenges and institutions that shape Europe.

More information about the Nanovic Institute and the Keeley Vatican Lecture is available at nanovic.nd.edu.

Originally published by Gráinne McEvoy at nanovic.nd.edu on Sept. 14.