Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli was born on 13 March 1953 in Predore, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. He was ordained a priest on 17 June 1978 for the diocese of Bergamo. He holds a Doctorate in Theology and a Master Degree in Canon Law. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 13 July 1987 and worked in the Papal Diplomatic Missions in Cameroon, New Zealand and at the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, and finally in the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States where he held the rank of Counsellor. Archbishop Girelli was appointed as Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia on 13 April 2006 and as Titular Archbishop of Capreae by Pope Benedict XVI. He was ordained Bishop by Cardinal Angelo Sodano on 17 June 2006 and appointed Apostolic Nuncio to East Timor on 10 October 2006 while carrying out his duties as Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia. On 13 January 2011, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore, Apostolic Delegate to Malaysia and Brunei, and non-residential Pontifical Representative for Vietnam. He was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 18 June 2011. On 13 September 2017, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine and on 15 September 2017, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Cyprus. Aside from Italian, his mother language, he also speaks English and French.