The new Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines presented his letter of credence to the government on Monday, December 14.
Archbishop Charles John Brown, 61, submitted his credentials to President Rodrigo Duterte in a ceremony in the presidential palace in Manila.
The archbishop, who arrived in the country on November 29, will represent the Vatican State to the Philippine government.
He will also play a crucial role in representing the pope to the Catholic Church in the Philippines and in selecting new bishops.
The country currently has six vacant ecclesiastical territories including the Archdiocese of Manila, which was formerly served by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
In Catholic countries like the Philippines, the pope’s representative is also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.
Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Brown as Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines on September 28. Prior to his new assignment, he was Apostolic Nuncio to Albania since March 2017.
He replaced Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, who now heads the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission in the United Nations in New York.
In many Catholic countries like the Philippines, the nuncio is also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.
Archbishop Brown, an American, joined the Holy See diplomatic service in 2011 after serving the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 1994.
His first assignment was in Ireland where he served for six years.
