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Pope Francis Appoints New Apostolic Nuncio to CAR, Chad, Assigns Him Titular See

Mons. Giuseppe Laterza, appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad on 5 January 2022. Credit: Courtesy Photo
Silas Isenjia

By Silas Isenjia

N'Djamena, 06 January, 2023 / 8:58 pm (ACI Africa).

Pope Francis has appointed Mons. Giuseppe Laterza as the new Apostolic Nuncio to the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad and assigned him the Titular See of Vartana in Italy with the dignity of Archbishop.

The appointment of Mons. Laterza, a native of Italy, was published by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday, January 5.

Born in Italy’s Catholic Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto, the newly appointed Apostolic Nuncio has been serving as a diplomatic Councilor in the Apostolic Nunciature in Georgia and Armenia since 2019.

The 52-year-old Archbishop-elect was ordained a Priest on 12 November 1994 after completing his Philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, respectively.

He has a Licentiate in Liturgical Theology and Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Ecclesiastic Academy in Rome.

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Since his Priestly ordination, Mons. Laterza has served as Parish vicar at Castellana Grotte and as Defender of the Bond for the Regional Ecclesiastic Tribunal of Puglia.

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 2003 and has previously served in Uruguay, Poland, the Vatican Secretariat of State, and the Republic of San Marino.

The Apostolic Nunciature of CAR and Chad became vacant on 12 November 2022 after Pope Francis transferred Archbishop Santiago De Wit Guzmán, a native of Spain, to the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia.

Archbishop De Wit Guzmán had represented the Holy Father in CAR and Chad since March 2017.

The Nunciature in CAR was initially established as Delegation to Central Africa in April 1965 before being elevated to the Nunciature of CAR in March 1970. 

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Meanwhile, the Nunciature in Chad was initially established as Delegation to Central-Western Africa in December 1973 and elevated to Chad Nunciature in November 1989.

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.

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