Career
He serves as the Nuncio to Russia and Nuncio to Uzbekistan from 19 February and 22 July 2011 respectively having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. On February 13, 2016 Pope Francis appointed him Nuncio to the United Nations Geneva. Born in Kočevje, southern Slovenia, Ivan Jurkovič was ordained to the priesthood on 29 June 1977. Jurkovič obtained a theology degree from the University of Ljubljana.
He was trained as diplomat in the Pontifical University and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1984, serving as a secretary in the Pontifical Representations in South of Korea.
In 1988 he obtained Doctor of Canon Law degree and from 1988 to 1992 served as a financial auditor in the Pontifical Representations in Colombia. From 1992 to 1996 he was appointed as consultant to the Apostolic Nunciature in Russia.
Then he worked as a consultant in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. On 28 July 2001, he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Krbava by Pope John Paul World War II Jurkovič received his episcopal consecration on 6 October in Ljubljana from Cardinal Angelo Sodano, with Cardinal Franc Rode and Archbishop Edmond Y. Farhat serving as co-consecrators. Nuncio to Belarus and Ukraine
On 28 July 2001 he was made the Holy See’s liaison with Belarus for almost three years.
An appointment as Papal Nuncio to Ukraine followed on 22 April 2004.
Nuncio to Russia and Uzbekistan
Jurkovič was named Nuncio to Russia on 19 February 2011. He took the place of Archbishop Antonio Mennini who was appointed as nuncio to Great Britain on 18 December 2010. Archbishop Mennini dramatically improved the relations between Russia and Holy See and as a result in December 2009 President Dmitry Medvedev ordered that full diplomatic relations between the two states be established.
On 22 July 2011 Jurkovič was named Nuncio to Uzbekistan.
Besides his native Slovenian, he can speak Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian.
