Pope appoints Archbishop of Nigeria as new Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization

Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, who was born in Nigeria, has been named by Pope Francis as the new secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

The appointment that took place on Wednesday was within the purview of the First Evangelisation and New Particular Churches Division.

The Holy See Press Office made the papal appointment known on Wednesday.

Nwachukwu, the titular Archbishop of Acquaviva, has served since 17 December 2021 as the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations and Specialised Institutions in Geneva and to the World Trade Organisation.

The 62-year-old also served as the Representative of the Holy See to the International Organisation for Migration.

Nwachukwu, born on May 10, 1960 was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Umuahia, in Nigeria, on 17th June 1984, and was later incardinated into the Diocese of Aba on 2nd April 1990.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him in 2012 as the Apostolic Nuncio to Nicaragua, and made him the Titular Archbishop of Acquaviva.

He later served in the Antilles from 2017 as the Apostolic Nuncio to Trinidad and Tobago, as well as to Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, and Guyana.

Nwachukwu also took on the role of Apostolic Nuncio to Saint Lucia, Grenada, Bahamas, Suriname, and Belize in 2018.