List of ambassadors of Australia to the Holy See
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The Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Holy See. The first nominee for this position was Dudley McCarthy, appointed in 1973,[1][2] who was also the ambassador to Spain, but the Vatican refused to accept the nomination on the grounds that McCarthy had been divorced.[3] The appointment was subsequently attached to the office of the Ambassador to the Netherlands, Denmark, Turkey, Ireland, Malta, Sweden and Switzerland. In 2008 Tim Fischer was appointed as the first permanent resident ambassador to the Holy See.[1] In 1986, Sir Peter Lawler had been appointed resident ambassador for four months prior to Pope John Paul II's visit to Australia.[4] Keith Pitt is the current ambassador, having presented his credentials on 3 June 2025.[5]
| Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See | |
|---|---|
| |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Reports to | Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Residence | Vatican City |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Australia |
| Appointer | Governor General of Australia |
| Inaugural holder | Lloyd Thomson |
| Formation | 1973 |
List of heads of mission
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Title | Residency | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lloyd Thomson LVO | Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See | The Hague, Netherlands | 1973 | 1974 | 0–1 years | [6] |
| 2 | John McMillan | Turkey | 1974 | 1978 | 3–4 years | [7] | |
| (n/a) | John Mitchell Kirtley | Chargé d'affaires | 1978 | 1979 | 0–1 years | ||
| 3 | Brian Clarence Hill | Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See | Sweden | 1979 | 1980 | 0–1 years | |
| (1) | Lloyd Thomson | Dublin, Ireland[a] | 1980 | 1983 | 2–3 years | [8] | |
| 4 | Sir Peter Lawler OBE | 1983 | 1986 | 2–3 years | [4] | ||
| (n/a) | Christopher Stephen Knott | Chargé d'affaires | 1986 | 1987 | 0–1 years | ||
| 5 | Frank Milne | Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See | 1987 | 1988 | 0–1 years | [9] | |
| 6 | Brian Burke AO[b] | Dublin, Ireland | 5 June 1988 | 31 July 1991 | 3 years, 56 days | [12] | |
| 7 | Terence McCarthy | 1991 | 1993 | 1–2 years | [13] | ||
| 8 | Michael Tate | The Hague, Netherlands | 1993 | 1996 | 2–3 years | ||
| 9 | Edward Stevens | Dublin, Ireland | 1996 | 1998 | 1–2 years | [14] | |
| 10 | Bob Halverson OBE | 1998 | 2003 | 4–5 years | |||
| 11 | John Herron | 2003 | 2006 | 2–3 years | |||
| 12 | Anne Plunkett | 2006 | 2008 | 1–2 years | |||
| 13 | Tim Fischer AC | Vatican City | 2008 | 2012 | 3–4 years | [1] | |
| 14 | John McCarthy , QC | August 2012 | 29 January 2016 | 3 years, 5 months | [1][15] | ||
| 15 | Melissa Hitchman | 2016 | 2020 | 3–4 years | [16][17] | ||
| 16 | Chiara Porro | 27 August 2020 | 29 November 2024 | 4 years, 94 days | [18][19][20] | ||
| (n/a) | Marcus Wu | Chargé d'affaires | 29 November 2024 | 3 June 2025 | 186 days | ||
| 17 | Keith Pitt | Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See | 3 June 2025 | incumbent | 333 days | [21] |
Notes
- Lawler was resident ambassador in the Vatican City for four months prior to Pope John Paul II's visit to Australia.
- In April 1991, it was announced that Burke had resigned from his post with effect from July 1991 in order to face a royal commission[10][11] and was eventually jailed. Burke was asked to hand back his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia.