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announced by President Danilo Medina during his conversation with President Sergio Mattarella—a Te Deum
was held at the First Cathedral of the Americas. The ceremony was officiated by Santo Domingo’s archbish-
op, H.E. Monsignor Francisco Ozoria (whose homily appears in Chapter 7). I was honored to be there in the
presence of the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, Cándida de Medina; Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas
Maldonado; the ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Italy, H.E. Alba María Cabral; Dominican officials;
the diplomatic corps; and major figures from the fields of business and culture. In his speech at the cathedral,
Foreign Minister Vargas stated that diplomatic relations between the two countries had reached their apogee:
Primer Obispo Residente de la República Dominicana.
Humanista italiano amigo de Cristóbal Colón.
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS. PART TWO. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN THE PRESENT: 2017-2020
Toasting of the head
table during the
Italian National Day
celebrations. From
left to right: Rosanna
Rivera, Mistress of
Ceremonies; H.E.
Andrea Canepari, the
Ambassador of Italy;
H.E.R. Monsignor
Jesús Castro Marte,
Auxiliary Bishop of
Santo Domingo; the
Honorable Milton Ray
Guevara, Chief Justice
of the Constitutional
Court; Miguel Vargas,
Chancellor of the
Dominican Republic;
H.E. Ghaleb Bader,
Apostolic Nuncio;
Héctor Juan Martínez
Román, General
Subcommander, Rear
Admiral of the Navy;
Guillermo Rodríguez
Vicini, attorney. Santo
Domingo, May 29,
2019.
© Courtesy of Listín Diario
Casa de Campo
Marina, whose design
was inspired by the
Porto Rotondo Marina;
National Palace,
designed by the Italian
engineer D’Alessandro
and the First Cathedral
of the Americas,
whose construction
was promoted by
Bishop Geraldini.
These images were
created by the School
of Communication
of the Universidad
Iberoamericana
(UNIBE) as part of the
collaboration between
the universities and
the Embassy.
© UNIBE