Pope Francis, the leader of Catholic Church has appointed Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty as the new ambassador (Nuncio) to Nigeria.
As the former nuncio to the neighboring countries of Niger and Burkina Faso, the Irish church diplomat has extensive experience in the region.
An apostolic nuncio is a high-ranking ecclesiastical diplomat who serves as the Holy See’s envoy to a state or international organization.
The appointment was disclosed in a communique issued on Tuesday by the Apostolic Nunciature to Nigeria.
The communiqué was approved by Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Archbishop of Owerri.
Archbishop Ugorji expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for appointing Archbishop Crotty and praised his predecessor, Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi, for his contributions.
“We celebrate the historic connection between our nations as Archbishop Crotty becomes our first Apostolic Nuncio from Ireland, just as Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo was the first Apostolic Nuncio from Nigeria in Ireland. We appreciate Archbishop Crotty’s acceptance of serving in Nigeria and assure him of our full support and cooperation,” said Ugorji.