12 Facts About Pietro Sambi

Pietro Sambi was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1969 until his death in 2011.

Pietro Sambi had the rank of archbishop and the title of nuncio from 1985, fulfilling assignments in Burundi, Indonesia, Cyprus, Israel, Jerusalem and Palestine, and the United States.

Pietro Sambi was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro on 14 March 1964 and earned degrees in theology and canon law.

Pietro Sambi entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1969, serving first at the nunciature in Cameroon.

Pietro Sambi moved to the Apostolic Nunciature in Jerusalem on 19 July 1971, and then to the Apostolic Nunciatures in Cuba in 1974, Algeria in 1978, Nicaragua in 1979, Belgium in 1981, and India in May 1984 with the rank of counselor.

Pietro Sambi criticized Israel's construction of a wall to separate the Palestinian territories from Israel.

Pietro Sambi criticized the anti-Semitism found in Palestinian schoolbooks and successfully campaigned for Italy to discontinue support for educational initiatives that used such works.

Pietro Sambi campaigned for a special status for Jerusalem that would allow it to serve as the center of several major religions.

Pietro Sambi toured the damage left by Hurricane Katrina during the summer of 2006, shortly after his appointment.

Pietro Sambi received an honorary doctorate from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, on 8 May 2011.

Pietro Sambi was the 2009 Living Stones Solidarity Award of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation for his work in the Middle East.

On 22 July 2011, Pietro Sambi underwent lung surgery and developed complications that required the use of assisted ventilation.