Pope Francis appoints new Apostolic Nuncio to EU

By Vatican News

On March 22, 2025, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Bernardito Auza as Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union. He succeeds Archbishop Noel Treanor who died in August 2024.

Since October 1 2019, Archbishop Auza has served as Apostolic Nuncio to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra.

Before that, he served as Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York. He was also Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. from July 2014 until September 2019.

During his years of service as Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Archbishop Auza welcomed Pope Francis to the United Nations on September 25, 2015, and participated in the negotiations that led to the adoption of various international documents, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Treaty on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the Global Compact on Safe Orderly and Regular Migration and many other multilateral achievements.

During his tenure, the Holy See Mission organized an average of 20 conferences a year at the United Nations on the scourge of human trafficking, the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East and elsewhere, the right to religious freedom, the importance of fathers and mothers, the defence of the rights of indigenous people in the Amazon, the protection of migrants and refugees, the peace process in Colombia, interreligious dialogue as an essential component of peaceful and inclusive societies, the right to life, the advancement of women, and more. 

Archbishop Auza is a native of Talibon, Philippines. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Tagbilaran in June 1985. A year later he was incardinated in the newly created Diocese of Talibon. He earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in Rome and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1990. He served at the Apostolic Nunciatures in Madagascar, Bulgaria and Albania before serving for a number of years in the Secretariat of State in the Vatican.