Apostolic Nuncio to United Nations at St. Thomas University

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Mar 11, 2011, 12:47 ET

MIAMI, March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Miami's St. Thomas University will host a symposium on Catholic Social Teaching in Defense of Christian Minorities in the Middle East on March 30th at the School of Law's Moot Court Room in Miami. Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See Mission to the United Nations in New York City will provide the keynote address. The academic event is being held in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Miami and Pax Romana (Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs-USA), the North American Federation of the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs.

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Archbishop Chullikatt served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Honduras, various countries of southern Africa, the Philippines, the Mission to the United Nations in New York, and at the Secretariat of State in the Vatican. Born in Bolghatty, India, he was ordained a priest in 1978. He completed a doctorate in Canon Law and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1988. The Archbishop was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq and Jordan in April 2006 and ordained Titular Archbishop of Ostra on 25 June 2006. In July of 2010 he was appointed Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York by Pope Benedict XVI.

His presentation at St. Thomas University will be followed by a panel of scholars and experts on "Protection of Christians in the Middle East Interreligious and Intercultural Global Perspectives." The panel will include: Professor Mark J. Wolff, professor of Law at St. Thomas University, as moderator, who is also Main Representative to the United Nations headquarters in New York for Pax Romana (ICMICA). Panel members include: Marie Dennis, Director of the Maryknoll Catholic missioners' Office for Global Concerns in Washington, D.C. and New York; former Ambassador Francis Dubois, who had a distinguished career at the UN with special assignments in Iraq, Algeria and Tunisia; and Monsignor Gabriel Ghanoum Pastor of St. Nicholas Melkite Catholic Church in North Miami and Patriarchal Exarch of the Eparchy of Mexico. For additional information about the symposium and to reach Professor Wolff, visit www.stu.edu/law.