Thomas Edward Gullickson (born August 14, 1950) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as an apostolic nuncio in the Holy See diplomatic corps since 2004. Gullickson was posted to Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 2015 until his retirement at the end of 2020.
To prepare for a diplomatic career, Gullickson entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome in 1981.[2] He joined the Holy See diplomatic service on May 1, 1985, and served in diplomatic missions to Rwanda, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Jerusalem, Israel and Germany.[3]
On December 15, 2004, Gullickson was given additional appointments as apostolic nuncio to other Caribbean nations: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname.[6] On December 20, 2004, he was named as apostolic nuncio to Grenada.[7] Gullickson was named apostolic nuncio to Ukraine on May 21, 2011.[8][9] While there, Gullickson posted on Twitter and on his blog his criticism of Pope Francis regarding family planning, the eucharist,[10] the pope's criticism of the Roman Curia, and the Vatican's relations with Russia.[11][12]
Pope Francis appointed Gullickson Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland and Liechtenstein on September 5, 2015.[13] Gullickson announced in October 2020 his retirement as apostolic nuncio and said that he planned to retire in Sioux Falls.[14] Pope Francis accepted his resignation on December 31, 2020.[15]
Views on liturgy
Gullickson has frequently expressed his preference for the extraordinary form of the mass in which the priest faces the altar in the same direction as the congregation. He considers it a step to renew what he sees as a proper reverence for the liturgy.[16][17][18]
