Pope Francis has appointed a Tanzanian-born prelate, Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa as Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand and Apostolic Delegate to countries and territories of the Pacific Ocean.
He will be the representative of Pope Francis in the Pacific.
The 62-year old Archbishop entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1991 and has served in Panama, Republic of Congo, Pakistan, New Zealand, Indonesia, Angola, and Honduras.
For a period of time, he was also Under Secretary of the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.
Archbishop Rugambwa has diplomatic experience in Panama, the Republic of Congo, Pakistan, Indonesia and he previously served as secretary to the Apostolic Nuncio in Wellington, New Zealand. He holds a degree in Canon Law.
He replaces the previous nuncio, Archbishop Martin Krebs, who officiated at the ordination of Bishop Peter Brown in 2013, and has been appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Uruguay.
