Pope Francis Names Filipino Archbishop as Apostolic Nuncio to Australia

A 67-year old Filipino Archbishop, who is a native of Naga City, has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Australia.

The Vatican has named Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, the current Apostolic Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of Congo prior to his new appointment.

He will replace Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who was named as the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.

On the other hand, the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference thanked the Pope and welcomed the Vatican envoy.

“Archbishop Yllana brings wide and diverse experience, great faith and priestly gifts. We assure him of a warm and enthusiastic welcome upon his arrival and service here in Australia,” said Archbishop Denis Hart, ACBC President, in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website.

Yllana was ordained priest by the Archdiocese of Caceres in March 1972 and has a Doctorate in Civil and Canon Law.

After taking International Diplomacy at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Service in Rome, he entered the diplomatic service of the Vatican and was named to his first post in 2001 as the Nuncio to Papua New Guinea.

Yllana had also served as the Holy See’s diplomatic representative in the Solomon Islands and Pakistan.In December 2001, he was appointed Nuncio in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and five years later, to Pakistan.

Nine years later, he was named Apostolic Nuncio for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The newly-appointed Papal envoy speaks English, Spanish, Italian and French.

Aside from Yllana, there are three other Filipinos serving as the Pope’s envoy to different countries.

They are Archbishop Bernardito Auza, a Bohol native, who is currently the Vatican’s permanent representative to the United Nations; Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, a Cebuano, is the Apostolic Nuncio to Korea; while his brother, Archbishop Francisco Padilla, is the Nuncio to Tanzania. (PNA) LAM/FGP/RSM