Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich has stepped down as Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands only ten months after taking up the post, with Pope Leo XIV accepting his resignation.
Although the Regulations for Pontifical Representations permit nuncios to retire at the age of 70, it is highly unusual for one to do so after such a short tenure. The Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad reported that the reasons for Archbishop Speich’s resignation are “shrouded in mystery.”
Archbishop Jean-Marie Antoine Joseph Speich was born on 15 June 1955 in Strasbourg, in the Diocese of Strasbourg, France. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Strasbourg on 9 October 1982.
Pope Francis named him an Archbishop in 2013 and was the principal consecrator at his episcopal ordination Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.
On 17 August 2013, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana and Titular Archbishop of Sulci. He was ordained a bishop on 24 October 2013 at the Cathedral of San Pietro in Rome.
On 19 March 2019, Archbishop Speich was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Slovenia and Apostolic Delegate to Kosovo. He later served as Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands from 12 April 2025 until his retirement on 21 February 2026.
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