Adriano Bernardini

Adriano Bernardini (13 August 1942 – 11 September 2025) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who occupied positions in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from the 1970s until he retired in 2017. His first assignment as Apostolic Nuncio was to Bangladesh (1992–1995) and his last to Italy (2011–2017). He was an archbishop since 1992.

Biography On 31 March 1968, Bernardini was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rome by Cardinal Egidio Cardinal Vagnozzi. He attended the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy to study diplomacy and earn a doctorate in canon law.

Diplomatic career Bernardini's first assignment in the diplomatic service of the Holy See was in the Apostolic Nunciature to Pakistan, which also follows events in Afghanistan. He later worked in the nunciatures of Angola, Japan, Venezuela and Spain. On 17 January 1989, he was appointed chargé d'affaires of the nunciature in Taiwan. On 20 August 1992, just days after his 50th birthday, he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Falerii and Apostolic Nuncio to Bangladesh. He received his episcopal consecration on 15 November 1992 from Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

Bernardini remained in Bangladesh until 15 June 1996, when he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles. He was next appointed Nuncio to Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia and Apostolic Delegate to Burma, Laos, Malaysia and Brunei on 24 July 1999. Pope John Paul II named him Apostolic Nuncio to Argentina on 26 April 2003. His years there were marked by sharp differences between the Argentine bishops, notably Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (later Pope Francis), and Bernardini as representative of Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

Pope Benedict XVI named him Nuncio to Italy and San Marino on 15 November 2011. In 2014, he conducted an investigation into charges of scandalous behaviour by priests in the Diocese of Albenga-Imperia, which led to further investigation and the removal of a bishop. His career in the diplomatic service ended on 12 September 2017, when he was replaced as Nuncio to Italy by the first non-Italian to hold the position since Italy and the Holy See established full diplomatic ties in 1929.

On 4 October 2017, Pope Francis named him a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Death Bernardini died on 11 September 2025, 29 days after his 83rd birthday.