The new papal nuncio to New Zealand and the Pacific has formally presented his credentials to Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro. Archbishop Gábor Pintér succeeds former papal nuncio Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa who returned to Rome in March after suffering a stroke last October. Our new Vatican ambassador, who comes from Hungary, has most recently undertaken diplomatic Read more
New Zealand’s Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, has returned to Rome. The archbishop left the country on Saturday and has arrived safely after a “smooth” journey, the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference says. Rugambwa (pictured) is recovering from a stroke he suffered in Wellington last October. He will continue his rehabilitation at a Catholic facility in Read more
Papal nuncio Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Vatican ambassador to France, plans to meet the female candidates individually at the beginning of the new school year. Marie-Automne Thepot’s mobile phone rang on the morning of July 27th and, to her surprise, the call was from the papal nuncio’s office. The 42-year-old project manager at the Paris City Read more
Violence in Nicaragua must end, say Catholic church leaders including bishops and the Apostolic Nuncio to Nicaragua. The Nuncio, Archbishop Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag, has appealed for peace in the Pope’s name. Violence has beset the country since April this year. “With all my human and spiritual strength, I appeal to the consciences of all to Read more
In just over a month, New Zealand Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Martin Krebs, will bid farewell to New Zealand as he leaves to take up a new position in Uruguay. An announcement regarding the new apostolic nuncio for New Zealand and the Pacific is expected to be made in the coming month. On his time in Read more
Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Archbishop Christophe Pierre as the new Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America. Older catholics will remember that Pierre served as the secretary at the Nunciature in New Zealand. He came to New Zealand in 1977. It was his first appointment after he joined the Vatican’s diplomatic service. A Read more
A former papal ambassador accused of paying for sex with minors has been dismissed from the clerical state. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith made the order against Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, a former apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic. The order against Polish-born Wesołowski is thought to be the first such move taken against a Read more
On the day that the papal nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Charles Brown, told the US-based Catholic News Service that he saw “that Irish Catholicism had entered a new springtime,” representatives of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) were trying to convince a group of Irish bishops that the Irish Catholic Church was facing, among other Read more
The Vatican has recalled its ambassador to the Dominican Republic and relieved him of his duties pending an investigation into reports linking him to child sex abuse. A special prosecutor had been appointed to investigate Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, who has been ambassador to Santo Domingo for nearly six years. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said Read more
The new papal nuncio to Malaysia has landed in the midst of an intense row over whether Christians in the country should be allowed to use the word “Allah” to refer to God. Archbishop Joseph Marino, the first nuncio appointed to the Muslim-majority nation, said during a press conference that he supported the arguments in Read more