Pope Francis appoints Pinoy priest as Rwanda envoy

Pope Francis has appointed a priest from the Archdiocese of Manila as his representative to Rwanda, according to a report posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

Monsignor Arnaldo Catalan, 55, worked in the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See for the past 20 years and has been serving as the Chargé d’affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in China since 2019.

Catalan appointment as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda was made public Monday, Jan. 31 and published by the Holy See Press Office.

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for the "gift and honor and considers the appointment of Archbishop-elect Catalan as historic being the first priest of the Archdiocese of Manila to become a Nuncio."

Cardinal Advincula added that he "greets the new archbishop in the name of the clergy, religious men and women, and the laity of the Archdiocese and assures him of their support and prayers as he takes on this new mission."

Msgr. Catalan succeeds Archbishop Andrzej Józwowicz who was transferred to Iran in June 2021.

Catalan was ordained to the priesthood in March 1994 and joined the Holy See Diplomatic Service in July 2001. Since then, he has served in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Zambia, India, Kuwait, Turkey, Argentina, Canada, and the Philippines.

There are no details available on the episcopal ordination of Catalan as of this posting. —BAP, GMA News