POPE Francis has appointed Archbishop Bernardito Auza, an alumnus of the University, as the new apostolic nuncio to the European Union, the Holy See announced on March 22.
He will succeed Archbishop Noël Treanor, who died of a heart attack on Aug. 11, 2024.
Auza has been serving as papal nuncio to Spain and Andorra since 2019, a diplomatic assignment that came less than two years before the anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines through Spanish missionaries in 1521.
The 65-year-old prelate entered the UST Central Seminary in 1977.
He obtained his licentiate in philosophy and theology in 1981 and 1986, respectively. He also earned his master’s degree in education from the University in 1986.
In a press release, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) welcomed Auza’s appointment and lauded his “remarkable legacy of diplomatic engagement and ecclesial service.”
“For decades, he has played a pivotal role within the diplomatic service of the Holy See, demonstrating profound commitment and vision,” Bishop Mariano Crociata, COMECE president, said. “I am confident that our collaboration will be both fruitful and impactful in advancing the common good in the European Union.”
A native of Talibon, Bohol, Auza first joined the Vatican’s diplomatic service in 1990, serving in the apostolic nunciatures in Madagascar, Bulgaria, and Albania.
He also served for a number of years in the Secretariat of State in the Vatican.
In 2006, Auza was assigned to New York as deputy permanent observer to the United Nations. After two years, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him apostolic nuncio to Haiti and ordained him titular archbishop of Suacia.
He returned to New York in 2014 when Pope Francis named him permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.
Auza was also permanent observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. from 2014 to 2019.
The Boholano prelate was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Tagbilaran in 1985.
