Pope Francis appoints Archbishop Padilla as Nuncio in Guatemala

(Abu Dhabi). 

Pope Francis has appointed His Excellency Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, Titular Archbishop of Nebbio, and until the present moment Apostolic Nuncio in Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen and Apostolic Delegate in the Arabian Peninsula as the Apostolic Nuncio to Guatemala. 

Due to the situation of our Church in the Gulf and the pandemic in the world, the Apostolic Nuncio will continue as Head of the Mission in Kuwait and in the Gulf regions until normalcy is restored and the required protocols are fulfilled. 

Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Padilla for four years of dedicated service as the delegate of the Holy Father to the peoples of the Arabian Peninsula.The Nuncio had also played a key role in coordinating the visit of Pope Francis to the United Arab Emirates from 3-5 February 2019. 

"We are grateful for the dedicated service of Archbishop Francisco Padilla and congratulate him for the appointment. We hope to see him again in our midst before he has to leave for Central America. We assure him of our prayers", said Bishop Paul in a statement released today from Abu Dhabi.