The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps

In every foreign mission there is a hierarchy that is not seen but felt: the order of precedence. At the head of that order is the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the ambassador of longest tenure in post, who represents the whole corps before the receiving State.

In Chile, custom places this role in the representative of the Holy See, given the permanent nature of the mission. The Dean leads the protocol greeting to the President of the Republic and is, in fact, the first voice of the diplomatic corps at official ceremonies.

Understanding the Dean is understanding how local diplomatic life is ordered. It is also one of the first interviews this magazine seeks for its personalities of the circuit.