The highest-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See in a country, functioning like an embassy. Its head, the apostolic nuncio, holds the rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, is usually a titular archbishop, and in many countries serves ex officio as dean of the diplomatic corps. The nuncio is at the same time the official liaison between the Holy See and the local Catholic church, with significant involvement in the selection of bishops — the double function (state diplomacy plus internal church reporting) that makes nunciatures recur in the chronologies wherever episcopal appointments or Roman interventions are contested.[1]