VATICAN CITY, APR 11, 1997 (VIS) - The world's oldest diplomatic service is that of the Holy See, and it origins can be traced to the very first enturies of the Catholic Church when papal legates, "legati a latere," were sent by the Popes to represent them at important councils or for other matters. In fact, a legate was present at the Council of Nicea in 325.
Though the mission of the early papal representatives was primarily spiritual in nature, changes began to occur between the fifth and eighth centuries when Popes sent temporary emissaries to special civil ceremonies as well as to religious events.
In the mid-15th century, permanent papal representation began to appear and by the 16th century, history records the establishment of apostolic nunciatures in different countries, with an exchange of representatives between those countries and the Holy See. The very first apostolic nunciature was established in Venice in 1500.
As affirmed in the Vienna Diplomatic Convention of......
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