TiaBurwell25 at 10:09, 27 February 2026

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{{Short description|Indian prelate}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type =
| honorific-prefix = [[His Excellency]], [[The Most Reverend]]
| name = Blasco Francisco Collaço
| honorific-suffix =
| title = [[Apostolic Nuncio]] Emeritus to [[Apostolic Nunciature to South Africa|South Africa]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Botswana|Botswana]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Lesotho|Lesotho]], [[Apostolic Nunciature to Namibia|Namibia]] and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Eswatini|Eswatini]]<br> [[Titular Archbishop]] of [[Octava]]

| archdiocese =
| diocese =
| appointed = 24 May 2000
| enthroned =
| retired = 17 August 2006
| predecessor = [[Manuel Monteiro de Castro]]
| successor = [[James Green (bishop)|James Green]]
| other_post = [[Titular Archbishop]] of [[Octava]]
| previous_post = {{bulleted list | [[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Bulgaria|Bulgaria]] (1996-2000) | [[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Seychelles|Seychelles]] (1994-1996) | Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Madagascar|Madagascar]] and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Mauritius|Mauritius]] (1991-1996) | [[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to the Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic]] and [[Apostolic Delegate]] to [[Apostolic Delegation to Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico]] (1982-1991) | [[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Panama|Panama]] (1977-1982) }}

| ordination = 2 May 1954
| ordained_by =
| consecration = 5 November 1977
| consecrated_by = [[Jean-Marie Villot]], [[Agostino Casaroli]], and [[Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy]]

| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1931|05|16}}
| birth_place = [[Raia, Goa]], [[Portuguese India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| buried =
| nationality = [[India]]n
| alma_mater =
| coat_of_arms =
| motto =
}}

{{Infobox bishopstyles
| name= Blasco Francisco Collaço
| dipstyle=
*[[Excellency|His Excellency]]
*[[The Most Reverend]]
| offstyle=[[Your Excellency]]
| relstyle=[[Archbishop]]
| image = Template-Archbishop.svg
| image_size = 200px
}}

'''Blasco Francisco Collaço''' (born 16 May 1931) is an Indian [[prelate]] of the [[Catholic Church]] who spent his career in the [[Foreign relations of the Holy See|diplomatic service of the Holy See]], including 30 years as an [[apostolic nuncio]].

==Biography==
Collaço was born in [[Raia, Goa]], India, on 16 May 1931.<ref name=bio/> He attended the Seminary of Rachol from 1941 to 1953.<ref name=vaz>{{cite book | title= Profiles of Eminent Goans, Past and Present |access-date = 11 April 2020 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7DJLxYBYA-YC&pg=PA51 | pages= 51–53 | date= 1998 | location = Goa | publisher = Concept Publishing Company | first = J. Clement | last = Vaz |isbn = 9788170226192 }}</ref> He was ordained a priest on 2 May 1954.<ref name=bio/> Studying from 1954 to 1957 at Rome's [[Pontifical Urban University]], he earned a doctorate in canon law. He spent the next year at the [[Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences]].<ref name=vaz/> To prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the [[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]] in 1959.<ref>{{cite web|website=[[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]]|language =it|access-date = 16 August 2019 | title = Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999 |url = https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/1950-1999.htm }}</ref>

==Diplomatic career==
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1961 and filled assignments in Colombia, Australia (an office with responsibility for New Zealand and Oceania), France, Scandinavia, and Honduras. Beginning in 1976, he worked in the [[Roman Curia]] in the Office of Public Affairs.<ref name=vaz/>

On 23 September 1977, [[Pope Paul VI]] named Apostolic Nuncio to Panama and a [[titular archbishop]].<ref name=bio/> He was consecrated a bishop on 5 November 1977 by Cardinal [[Jean-Marie Villot]]. He was the first Indian and the first Goan priest to have the title of "Nuncio".<ref name=vaz/>

On 26 July 1982, [[Pope John Paul II]] appointed him apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-74-1982-ocr.pdf | page= 965 | date= 1982 | volume = LXXIV| access-date = 3 December 2019 }}</ref> He became Apostolic Delegate to Puerto Rico that year as well.<ref name=vaz/>

On 28 February 1991, Pope John Paul named him Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Madagascar and Mauritius.<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-83-1991-ocr.pdf | page= 374 | date= 1991 | volume = LXXXIII| access-date = 3 December 2019 }}</ref> He added the title apostolic nuncio to Seychelles on 4 May 1994.

On 13 April 1996, Pope John Paul appointed him [[Apostolic Nunciature to Bulgaria|Apostolic Nuncio to Bulgaria]],<ref name=bio/> where the Church and the government remained at odds over the restitution of Church property since the collapse of Communism in 1989.<ref>{{cite CiteSeerX |page= 22| title = Catholics of Bulgaria |citeseerx = 10.1.1.693.4612}}</ref>

On 24 May 2000, he appointed Collaço Apostolic Nuncio to South Africa and Namibia, and Apostolic Delegate to Botswana.<ref>{{cite press release | access-date = 8 December 2019 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2000/05/24/0325/01198.html | language = it | date= 24 May 2000 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 24.05.2000 }}</ref> On 24 June 2000, he added the responsibilities of Apostolic Nuncio to Lesotho and Swaziland.<ref name=bio>{{cite press release | access-date = 5 September 2019 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2000/05/24/0325/01198.html | language = it | date= 24 June 2000 | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 24.06.2000 }}</ref>

Collaço retired from these positions in August 2006.

He appears as a character in the novel ''The Fifth Gospel'' by [[Ian Caldwell]].<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M3nNBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA238 | pages= 237–38 | title = The Fifth Gospel: A Novel | first = Ian | last= Caldwell | date= 2015 | publisher = Simon and Schuster| isbn= 9781451694147 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of heads of the diplomatic missions of the Holy See]]

==References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links ==
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcollaco.html Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Blasco Francisco Collaço] [[Wikipedia:SPS|{{sup|[''self-published'']}}]]


{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collaco, Blasco Francisco}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Panama]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Madagascar]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Mauritius]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Seychelles]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to South Africa]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Namibia]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Botswana]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Lesotho]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Eswatini]]

Blasco Francisco Collaço - Revision history

TiaBurwell25 at 10:09, 27 February 2026