Biography of Peter Zurbriggen

Peter Stephan Zurbriggen (born 27 August 1943 in Brig; died there on 28 August 2022) was a Swiss Roman Catholic archbishop and diplomat of the Holy See. He served as apostolic delegate and nuncio in Mozambique, the South Caucasus, the Baltic states and, from 2009 to 2018, Austria. His church career led from Valais through Rome to countries where relations between local churches, states and the Vatican were often being reorganised.

Origins and priesthood

Zurbriggen was born in Brig in the canton of Valais. After theological training, he was ordained a priest in Rome on 10 October 1969. In 1970 he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. There he began preparation for a service that connected pastoral work, canon law, languages, international politics and representation of the Holy See.

Diplomatic service of the Holy See

On 13 November 1993 Pope John Paul II appointed him titular archbishop of Glastonbury and apostolic delegate in Mozambique. On 6 January 1994 Zurbriggen received episcopal ordination in St. Peter's Basilica. In 1996 he became apostolic nuncio in Mozambique. Assignments then followed in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, a region where small Catholic communities, old Christian traditions and state reorganisation after the end of the Soviet Union came together.

Baltic states

In 2001 Zurbriggen became apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. For a time he also served as apostolic administrator of Estonia. His service in the Baltic states fell in years when these countries were deepening their European ties and church structures were being stabilised further after decades of Soviet rule. Zurbriggen worked as the pope's representative and as a diplomatic contact for governments and local churches.

Austria

On 14 January 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Zurbriggen apostolic nuncio to Austria. This assignment brought him to Vienna, where the nunciature serves as both a church and diplomatic point of contact. Until his retirement on 30 November 2018, he represented the Holy See in Austria, attended church ceremonies, maintained contacts with bishops, politics and religious communities, and accompanied internal church developments.

Retirement and return

Zurbriggen's service as apostolic nuncio to Austria ended on 30 November 2018. He then returned to Switzerland. His later path led him back to Valais, where he had been born.

Farewell

Peter Stephan Zurbriggen died in Brig on 28 August 2022, one day after his 79th birthday. The funeral took place in Brig on 29 August 2022; a message from the Vatican was conveyed to the family and congregation. His career unfolded through diplomatic relations, appointments, conversations and the accompaniment of local churches in very different political situations.