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 missions as Nuncio in Belarus and in Honduras.

One of a Nuncio's key tasks is overseeing recommendations about potential bishops as incumbents approach the mandatory retirement age of 75 or when dioceses become vacant.

At present all six of New Zealand's dioceses have bishops, with no vacancies expected in the next 12 years or more. Across the Pacific's 17 dioceses most bishops are also much younger than 75.

Pintér says this means he will have more time to visit Catholic communities across the far-flung region and share Pope Francis' vision with them.

"It is important for nuncios to make pastoral visits, to be among the people and to transmit the message of the Pope," he notes.

"It's a great honour for me to be a representative of the Holy Father and to go in many countries of the world and to be some kind of bridge between the Pope and the local church.

"We cannot know the future, but I think much of my time will be dedicated to those pastoral visits, to talk to bishops, priests, religious and laity, to make connections and to have the chance to assure the presence and the closeness of the Pope among these peoples."

He is looking forward to the challenges of getting to know and understand the wide Catholic territory where he will be working.

"I know also that there are a lot of differences between New Zealand and the islands, and within the Pacific Islands there are a lot of differences. So I have to learn, and to learn, I of course have to listen to people. That's my first very important task."

Pintér will also participate in civic affairs with governments, with other ambassadors and with the diplomatic corps.

Source

• NZ Catholic Bishops Conference

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 Rome.

Accompanying the archbishop was Sr Maria Ann Singer LSP and Fr Giosuè Busti, First Secretary-Deputy Head of Mission at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See (papal embassy).

On Saturday, Bishop of Auckland Stephen Lowe, President of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, asked Catholics to keep Rugambwa in their prayers.

"It is with much sadness that we farewell Archbishop Novatus" Lowe says.

"The bishops acknowledge our deep gratitude for his services to the Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific."

Rugambwa was appointed to his role as the Pope's chief diplomatic representative in New Zealand in 2019.

During that time, he oversaw bishops' appointments in five of the country's six dioceses.

These were Bishop Steve Lowe in Auckland, Archbishop Paul Martin SM in Wellington, Bishop Michael Gielen in Christchurch, Bishop John Adams in Palmerston North and Bishop Richard Laurenson in Hamilton.

Source

• NZ Catholic Bishops Conference

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 Hall was one of seven women who on July 22nd sent letters to the nuncio, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, to "apply" for ministerial positions reserved to ordained men only.

Thepot made herself a candidate for the diaconate and the call from the nunciature was to inform her that Archbishop Migliore, who arrived in France just last March, would like to meet individually with her and the others. Read more

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 reach a truce and return quickly to a national dialogue to seek together an adequate solution to solve the crisis," Sommertag says.

He says he and Pope Francis "weep for all the dead and pray for their families."

The Nicaraguan Pro-Human Rights Association say 351 people died in killings related to unrest between April 19 and July 10 this year.

They say the majority of the deaths were civilians protesting against President Daniel Ortega and calling for his resignation.

Ortega has been in power since 2007 and is on his third mandate. His wife Rosario Murillo is the Vice President.

Last Tuesday, police and pro-government militias took control of the Masaya.

Masaya is a suburb of the Nicaraguan capital Managua. It has become a symbol of resistance to Ortega.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Apostolic Nuncio called the violence a "tragic moment" for the country.

"I wish to express, on behalf of the Holy Father and the Holy See, my deep concern for the grave situation the country is facing.

"Obviously, it is unacceptable to think that the dead and victims of violence can solve the political crisis and guarantee a future of peace and prosperity in Nicaragua."

The Catholic Church has recently become a target of threats and attacks by security forces.

Sommertag, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes and Bishop Silvio Báez were attacked by pro-government activists on 9 July.

In a separate incident, Bishop Abelardo Mata narrowly avoided an attack last week.

Despite these acts of aggression, the bishops are continuing to call for a return to dialogue with Ortega's government.

They are condemning "the lack of political will on the part of the government to dialogue in sincerity and seek real paths towards democracy."

Ortega, who originally asked church leaders to mediate the crisis, said last week their actions disqualified them as mediators.

He said the bishops had given him an ultimatum to call early elections and alleged that churches have been used to stockpile weapons and stage attacks.

"I thought they were mediators, but no, they are committed to the coup mongers. They were part of the coup mongers' plan," Ortega said.

Source

• Crux Now
• Vatican News
• Crux Now
• Vatican News
• Image: Opennews24

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 New Zealand, Archbishop Martin says, "in this relatively small nation, I was happy to see how much attention is paid to people whom others consider too small and too weak.

And as a keen hiker, I often looked down from hills far over the sea, deeply enjoying the large horizons offered to the people of this country, which for a time has been also my country."

During his time in New Zealand, Archbishop Martin has actively participated in the life of the Church becoming part of his local parish community in the northern suburbs of Wellington.

Parishioners at St Francis of Assisi Parish will fondly remember singing Christmas carols together with the Nuncio.

Bishop Patrick Dunn, of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, expressed his sadness at the departure of the archbishop.

"There is always some sadness, when someone who has become a friend and colleague departs, but we also know that these periodic shifts are a fact of life for our nuncios.

Archbishop Krebs leaves behind many friends in New Zealand and the Pacific.

We wish him well on his new appointment and assure him of our prayers as he leaves the vast region he has served so diligently for the past five years."

Archbishop Martin has been Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.

He was also Apostolic Delegate in six territories in the Pacific (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Saipan, Guam, American Samoa), and in three small countries (Tokelau, Tuvalu and Niue).

He was based in Wellington during the term of his office.

Prior to becoming a Nuncio, Archbishop Martin worked in the Apostolic Nunciatures to Burundi, Japan, Austria, the Czech Republic, the European Union and the United States of America.

From 2008 to 2013, he was Apostolic Nuncio to Guinea and Mali.

Uruguay has a population of 3.44 million people, with 1.8 million living in its capital city, Montevideo.

According to a 2008 survey by the The National Institute of Statistics of Uruguay, Catholicism is the main religion, with 45.7% of the population identifying themselves as Catholic.

Source

• Supplied: Ko te Huinga Pihopa o te Hahi Katorika o Aotearoa/The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) Amanda Gregan
• Image: wn.catholic.org

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 polyglot, he speaks English and Spanish fluently. He is "a pastor", known for his "humility and simplicity" and is "excellent on all fronts", a source who knows him well confided.

A fellow nuncio described him as "a thoughtful, hardworking man", and "good listener" with "a great sense of fairness and balanced judgment."

Gifted with a good sense of humor and a deep voice, the new nuncio can captivate an audience.

According to The Vision, Uganda's leading daily, he is a man who goes among the people, is ready to help anyone regardless of status.

Born in Rennes, France on January 30, 1946, he spent the greater part of his childhood and early education in Africa, mainly in Madagascar, with some years in Malawi, Zimbabwe and one in Morocco.

He entered the seminary of Saint-Yves in Rennes at the age of 17, but interrupted his studies to do his two-years of military service (1965-'66).

Source

• lastampa.it
  
• Image:4.bp.blogspot.com

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 papal ambassador for sexual abuse.

The archbishop will have two months to prepare an appeal against the ruling.

Wesolowski was removed from his Dominican Republic post last August with little explanation.

The Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez, reported allegations against Wesolowski to Pope Francis.

News accounts at the time gave accounts of paying for sex with minors and being connected to a Polish priest accused of sexually assaulting at least 14 underage boys.

The Vatican said at the time it would co-operate with Dominican authorities.

The CDF statement does not declare Wesolowski guilty of any specific crime.

It states that the first part of a canonical process against him has been finished and that he has been dismissed from the clerical state.

The Holy See also announced that the archbishop faces criminal charges in the Vatican courts.

Proceedings will reportedly start after the conclusion of any appeal against the laicisation order.

Wesolowski could risk extradition to the Dominican Republic, if he is found guilty in a criminal trial.

A CDF statement noted that Wesołowski has been at liberty in Rome since he was recalled, saying the archbishop has had a "relative freedom of movement".

"Taking into account the sentence now pronounced by the dicastery . . . there will be taken against the former nuncio all measures appropriate to the seriousness of the case," the statement noted.

Laicisation means the archbishop can no longer perform priestly duties or present himself as a priest.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic are investigating Wesołowski, who was appointed as nuncio to the country in 2008, but they have yet to announce any charges.

Investigations in Poland are also continuing.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• The Independent
• Image: Not in Honduras

Archbishop Brown said that young Irish seminarians he met at St Patrick's College, the national seminary in Maynooth, and in Rome, showed a "renewed enthusiasm for their faith". That may well be true, but the numbers are miniscule.

Figures on the bishops' own website show the age profile of Irish priests. Over 65 per cent of Irish priests are aged 55 or over.

There are only two priests under the age of 40 in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

A priest in Killala diocese, Fr Brendan Hoban, pointed out that there has been a priest and celebration of the Eucharist in his parish -Moygownagh - since the eighth century.

But he believes he will be that last priest in that parish.

At the moment there is a priest in every parish in Killala. Within 20 years there will be seven serving 22 parishes spread out over a wide area. The situation is much same in other dioceses.

The research points out that to maintain the status quo would mean ordaining 82 priests each year.

The reality is that 20 students entered Maynooth in September 2013. It is likely that only 10 or 12 will be ordained in 2020. Continue reading.

Seán McDonagh is a Columban missionary priest, well known author and speaker, and a spokesman for the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland.

Source: Tablet Blog

Image: Percy French Festival

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 the Holy See had started a probe of Wesolowski and that he had been recalled "in the last few weeks," specifically over the pedophilia accusations.

"He has been relieved of his duties and the Holy See has begun an investigation," Lombardi said.

The attorney general of the Dominican Republic said his office is investigating what he termed "rumors" of abuse against Wesolowski.

Francisco Dominguez Brito said his office had received no formal complaints of abuse and was responding to media reports.

The whereabouts of the 65-year-old Wesolowski are unknown.

Sources

Reuters/NBC News

AP/ABC News

AP/Fox News

Image: AP/NBC News

Archbishop Joseph Marino, the first nuncio appointed to the Muslim-majority nation, said during a press conference that he supported the arguments in a fact sheet put out by the Christian Federation of Malaysia on why Christians should be allowed to use "Allah".

This drew an immediate reaction from conservative Muslim groups, which demanded he withdraw the statement or they would ask the government to close the nunciature and tell Archbishop Marino to leave the country.

Muslims (61 per cent of the population) and Christians (9 per cent) have largely lived in harmony in Malaysia, but the Allah issue has raised tensions.

In 2008 a government order banned the weekly Catholic Herald from using Allah as a translation for God in its Malay-language section.

Archbishop Murphy Pakiam sued the government and a court overturned the ban — a decision that shocked Muslims and led to religious strife, with churches throughout the country coming under attack.

The government appealed to the High Court, and the Catholic Church has filed an application to strike out the appeal.

The Church's argument will recall that in 2011, just before the Sarawak state elections — and apparently with an eye to the Christian vote in that state, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak issued a statement allowing Catholics to import Malay-language Bibles using Allah for God.

Archbishop Marino is no stranger to living in a Muslim majority country. Prior to being posted to Malaysia, he was the papal nuncio in Bangladesh for five years.

"The first thing I came to learn was the beauty of Islam, and it is indeed a religion of peace and harmony," he said. "Its spiritual components of seeking God are profound. That was the joy that I have, if I may say, with my deep contact with Islam in a country that is predominantly Muslim."

Sources:

Wall Street Journal

Malaysian Insider

Image: Malaysia Today

"We continue to walk on the dead," said Archbishop Mario Zenari.

"The number of 70,000 war victims is even more appalling when we think how these people die. They die not in their beds, not with euthanasia. Their bodies are torn apart and it is difficult even to collect enough fragments for a funeral."

Continue reading

It is a highly unusual appointment as Brown does not come from the Vatican diplomatic corps. His ability to speak English and his closeness to the current pope are seen as the major reasons that he was appointed.