POPE FRANCIS appointed American Archbishop Charles John Brown as the new apostolic nuncio to the Philippines last Sept. 28, making him the 18th papal envoy to the Philippines.
Brown succeeds Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, who left in November 2019 when the Pope appointed him as the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations in New York.
The apostolic nuncio serves as the ambassador of the Vatican to the Philippines and plays an essential role in the appointment of bishops. He is also the dean of the diplomatic corps.
This is the 60-year-old diplomat’s third assignment after he was appointed nuncio to Ireland in 2011 and Albania in 2017.
Brown was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of New York in May 1989.
In 1994, he became a member of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, responsible for promoting and defending the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In September 2009, Brown served as adjunct secretary of the International Theological Commission, which helps the Vatican in examining doctrinal questions of major importance.
Brown was elevated to the rank of archbishop by Pope Benedict XVI in January 2012. J. P. L. Enriquez, O.P.
