Alfio Rapisarda

Alfio Rapisarda (3 September 1933 – 11 February 2026) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1962 to 2008, with the title of apostolic nuncio from 1979.

Early life Alfio Rapisarda was born on 3 September 1933 in Zafferana Etnea, Province of Catania, Italy. He was ordained a priest on 14 July 1957. He earned a doctorate in canon law.

Diplomatic career Rapisarda entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1962. His early assignments included stints in Honduras, Brazil, France, Yugoslavia, and Lebanon.

On 29 January 1985, John Paul named him Apostolic Nuncio to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil on 2 June 1992, and Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal on 12 October 2002. In 2004 Portugal and the Holy See signed a new concordat, replacing an outdated one from 1940.

Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation on 8 November 2008.

Death Rapisarda died in Aci Sant'Antonio on 11 February 2026, at the age of 92.