Pope Leo XIV accepted last Saturday, February 21, the resignation of Monsignor Jean-Marie Speich as apostolic nuncio in the Netherlands, as officially announced that same day by the Holy See’s Bulletin. The decision is based on the provisions of article 20 §2 of the Regulations for Pontifical Representations, which allows nuncios to submit their resignation upon reaching the age of 70.
Speich, titular archbishop of Sulci, had been appointed to the position in April 2025, just a few weeks before turning 70 in June of that same year. His departure, after only ten months in the post, has generated various interpretations. Specola, from InfoVaticana, highlights the unusual nature of the resignation so shortly after the appointment, while the U.S. outlet The Pillar analyzes the possible reasons behind the decision, pointing to both personal factors and the context of his diplomatic career.
A resignation foreseen by age, but unusual in practice
The Holy See’s diplomatic regulations provide that nuncios may submit their resignation at age 70, in line with the usual practice in civil diplomatic service. However, it is not an automatic obligation, and in many cases pontifical representatives remain in office until age 75.
The very The Pillar notes that, although Speich reached the foreseen age in June 2025, his recent appointment in the Netherlands—announced in April of that same year—made such a quick departure unlikely. In that sense, the decision has drawn attention in Vatican circles, as it involves a diplomat with a consolidated career and no public indications of health problems.
According to sources cited by the U.S. outlet, Speich himself would have alluded to “personal reasons” in an email addressed to some Dutch bishops and clergy. His desire to attend to family heritage in France has also been mentioned, as he is the last direct member of his family.
Speculations about the context: reforms and the Rupnik scandal
Dutch media have also pointed to possible tensions arising from the complex renovation of the nunciature in The Hague, where asbestos was reportedly detected in the building. However, there is no official confirmation that this circumstance influenced the resignation.
On the other hand, the Italian blog Silere Non Possum, has linked Speich’s figure to his time as nuncio in Slovenia and his involvement in the case of the former Jesuit Marko Rupnik, accused of abuses against nuns.
According to these reports, in June 2023 Rupnik requested to be welcomed “ad experimentum” in the diocese of Koper, his diocese of origin. The then bishop, Jurij Bizjak, consulted the nuncio Speich, who would have considered the incardination an “excellent solution,” arguing that there was no active conviction at that time. Rupnik had previously been excommunicated for a crime linked to the sacrament of penance, an excommunication that was later lifted, and his case is currently ongoing before the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Specola considers the resignation “strange” less than a year after the appointment in the Netherlands and frames the episode within the controversies surrounding the Rupnik case. However, sources close to the Secretariat of State cited by The Pillar downplay this interpretation and point out that, if that factor was not decisive at the time of the appointment, it is unlikely to be so now.
A diplomat with a long career
Born in Strasbourg in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1982, Speich entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1986 after training at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Throughout his career, he served in various nunciatures—Haiti, Nigeria, Bolivia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Egypt, Spain, and Cuba—and was responsible for the Francophone section of the Secretariat of State.
In 2013, he was appointed nuncio to Ghana by Pope Francis, who personally ordained him bishop. In 2019, he was assigned to Slovenia and apostolic delegate to Kosovo. On April 12, 2025, he was appointed nuncio to the Netherlands, a position he now leaves following the acceptance of his resignation by Leo XIV.
A complex scenario in the Netherlands
The nunciature in The Hague has experienced notable turnover of incumbents in recent decades, generally appointed in the final stage of their diplomatic careers. Speich’s successor will thus have to face an ecclesial context marked by the reorganization of parishes, closures, and mergers, as well as a delicate vocational situation.
The Pillar recalls that three of the country’s seven dioceses are currently headed by bishops close to retirement age, which anticipates upcoming episcopal appointments. In that framework, the designation of the new pontifical representative will be key to accompanying the ongoing processes in the Dutch Church.