A former European guest has returned to Cuba after 18 years. This is Mons. Antoine Camilleri, the new Apostolic Nuncio for the Caribbean country, who was welcomed yesterday, July 30, in a ceremony by the Cuban bishops.
Bishop Camilleri, originally from the island of Malta, had already been in Cuba in 2005 and 2006 as a member of the Vatican diplomatic headquarters in Havana.
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After having served as apostolic nuncio in countries in Oceania and Africa, the prelate returns to America, after Pope Francis appointed him his representative on the island on May 20.
In a note sent by the Communications Office of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC), it was reported that the prelate delivered his letter of introduction to the president of the Cuban Episcopate, Bishop Emilio Aranguren, who thanked him for his presence in the country. where a poor, needy and weak Church travels, but which remains and is alive.
“To finish, he made reference to the fact that the new nuncio had the opportunity to get to know this town and this church. “He let him know that the Cuban bishops want, in a special way, to have a close bond of communion between the Pope, the nunciature in Cuba and the small episcopal college that he presides,” indicated the COCC.
For his part, the note adds, the new nuncio “said he felt happy to be back in the house that welcomed him 18 years ago.” In addition, he “offered his help and accompaniment to advance the mission that the church has on this island.”
Bishop Camilleri is the third nuncio appointed by the Pope to Cuba and the eleventh to represent the Vatican in the country since 1948, which currently has 11 dioceses, 12 bishops, 2 of them auxiliary and 4 emeritus.
Who is Mons. Antoine Camilleri?
Bishop Antoine Camilleri was born in Sliema (Malta), on August 20, 1965. He was ordained a priest in 1991 and has a degree in Jurisprudence and Canon Law.
In 1992 he was appointed professor of Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University. In 1996 he returned to Malta after obtaining a doctorate and served as a bond defender at the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Archdiocese until 1997.
He entered the Vatican diplomatic service on January 9, 1999, working in the pontifical representations in Papua New Guinea, Uganda and Cuba. In February 2013, Benedict XVI appointed him undersecretary of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State.
On September 3, 2019, Pope Francis appointed him titular archbishop of Skálholt and apostolic nuncio, receiving episcopal ordination on October 4, 2019.
On October 31 of that year he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Ethiopia and Djibouti, special representative to the African Union and apostolic delegate in Somalia.
As indicated Vatican Newsthe new Apostolic Nuncio in Cuba speaks Italian, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian and Russian.
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Prensa I have been sent to cover Pope Francis’ trips to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synodality Synod in the Vatican in 2023.