His early assignments included stints in the papal representatives' offices in China (1967–72), the Netherlands (1972–75), and Chile (1975–78); in Rome at the Secretariat of State and as a member of the Council for Public Affairs of the Church (1978–83); and then at the apostolic nunciatures in Portugal (1981–85) and Scandinavia (1985–88).

[1][2] In Chile he served under the nuncio Angelo Sodano, later Secretary of State, during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Bacqué defended Sodano's record there, noting that the nunciature sheltered about thirty political refugees.

[4] Pope John Paul II appointed him titular archbishop of Gradisca and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Sri Lanka on 17 June 1988.

[1] He received his episcopal consecration on 3 September 1988[2] from Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Secretary of State.