Nuncio

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnʌnʃiˌoʊ/

Definitions

1. A diplomatic representative sent by the pope to a foreign country or church to handle religious and official matters
2. An official envoy of the Holy See who acts as a liaison between the Vatican and governments or churches abroad
3. A papal diplomat tasked with representing the Vatican's interests and communicating its directives to external entities

Etymology: The word arrived in English from Spanish "nuncio", a borrowing of the Latin "nūntius", meaning "envoy" or "messenger." That Latin root is also the ancestor of "announce" and "denounce" in English, and the Latin word itself is the source of the Italian and Spanish words for a messenger, so the connection to news-carrying is built into the term from the start. The Latin sense of "messenger" narrowed over the centuries into the specific office of a papal representative sent to foreign governments. The word stayed close to its diplomatic meaning, so a nuncio is still, in the sense the word carries, a messenger who speaks with the authority of the sender.

Synonyms: ambassador, envoy, messenger, legate, representative