Vatican City - The Vatican on Friday named a new papal nuncio, or ambassador, to Bolivia after his predecessor resigned for health reasons related to Bolivian capital La Paz's high altitude. Monsignor Giambattista Diquattro, 54, is set to take over from Monsignor Luciano Suriani, 51, the Vatican said.
Appointed to La Paz just nine months ago by Pope Benedict XVI, Suriani asked to be transferred due to an inability to cope with the city's high altitude, the ANSA news agency reported, citing Bolivia's Embassy to the Holy See.
The Bolivian capital is situated at 3,640 metres above sea level. Potentially fatal health problems, such as high altitude pulmonary edema and cerebral edema, have been known to occur at levels above 2,200 metres.
Earlier this year, the Vatican disappointed many Mexican Catholics when it announced that the 81-year-old Benedict would not attend a conference on family life scheduled for January 2009 in Mexico City due to the city's 2,240 metre elevation.
In 2007, world football governing body FIFA banned the staging of international matches at venues higher than 2,750 metres, but reversed its decision this year following protests by Bolivian President Evo Morales. Morales was backed by his counterparts in Ecuador and Peru, nations which also have large tracts in the Andes.
