Msgr. Arnaldo S. Catalan, newly appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda will be ordained to the episcopacy on February 11, 2022, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Manila – Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, at 5 p.m.
His Eminence Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples will confer episcopal ordination to Msgr. Catalan. He will be joined by His Eminence Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Archbishop of Manila and His Excellency Archbishop Charles John Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.
Last January 31, 2022, the Holy Father Pope Francis announced the appointment of Msgr. Catalan as the new Apostolic Nuncio in Rwanda. The Pope also elevated him to the titular See of Apollonia, with the dignity of Archbishop.
Msgr. Catalan, 55 years old, was ordained to the priesthood on March 25, 1994. Since 2019, he served as the Chargé ‘affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in China. He succeeds Archbishop Andrzej Józwowicz, who was transferred to Iran in June 2021, as nuncio to Rwanda.
An apostolic nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or an international organization. A nuncio is appointed by and represents the Holy See. He becomes in charge of a diplomatic mission, called an Apostolic Nunciature, which is the equivalent of an embassy. (Jheng Prado/RCAM-AOC)
