Information reaching the executive office of RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA indicated that the Holy Father, Pope Francis has just Transferred the Apostolic Nuncio in Burkina Faso, Niger to Nigeria.
The Correspondent of RECOWACERAO NEWS AGENCY, RECONA, based in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria pointed out that the Holy Father has transferred Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, who has been serving as Apostolic Nuncio in Burkina Faso and Niger to the West African nation of Nigeria.
Born in Mallow, Ireland, in 1970, Archbishop Crotty was ordained a Priest in 1994. He pursued further studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a Licentiate in Ecclesiastical History and Canon Law and a doctorate in Ecclesiastical History.
He was enrolled in the Vatican diplomatic service on 1 February 2001. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI named him his Chaplain.
Before he started his service as Apostolic Nuncio to Burkina Faso and Niger following his Episcopal Ordination in August 2020, Archbishop Crotty had served in various Apostolic Nunciatures, including Kenya, Canada, Iraq, Jordan, and Spain.
In Nigeria, the Irish-born Vatican diplomat is set to succeed Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, who was transferred to Poland in August 2023 after representing the Holy Father in the West African nation since 2017.
CURRICULUM VITAE OF ARCHBISHOP MICHAEL F. CROTTY
Archbishop Michael F. Crotty, a native of Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, Ireland, was born on 26 March 1970. On 3 July 1994, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cloyne (Ireland). After his priestly ordination, he continued postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a Licentiate in Ecclesiastical History and Canon Law and a doctorate in Ecclesiastical History.
On 1 July 2001, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See and was assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature in Kenya, Nairobi. He subsequently served in the Apostolic Nunciature in Canada, Ottawa (2004-2007); the Apostolic Nunciature in Iraq and Jordan, Baghdad and Amman (2007 – 2009); the Secretariat of State at the Vatican – Section for the Holy See’s Relations with States (2009-2017) and in the Apostolic Nunciature in Spain, Madrid (2017-2020).
On 1 February 2020, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Burkina Faso and raised him to the archiepiscopal dignity granting him the titular see of Lindisfarne. Subsequently, on 25 April 2020, he was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Niger. On 15 August 2020, he was ordained to the episcopate in St Colman’s Cathedral, Diocese of Cloyne, Ireland. Since September 2020 he has been serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Burkina Faso and Niger with residence in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
In May 2023, he was appointed Special Envoy of the Holy See to attend the presidential inauguration of H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Apart from his mother tongue English, he speaks Gaelic, French, Italian, Spanish, and German.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NIGERIA WARMLY WELCOMES THE NEW APOSTOLIC NUNCIO:
In a welcome address signed by the President of the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop His Excellency, Lucius Iwejuru Ugori, we read,
His Excellency, Archbishop Michael Francis CROTTY
With joy and gratitude to God, I extend a hearty welcome to Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty on behalf of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), clergy, religious, and lay faithful in Nigeria. We are thankful to His Holiness, Pope Francis, for appointing Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty as the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria to build on the good works of his predecessor, Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi.
His appointment is a testament to the strong spiritual bond between our countries, recalling that many Irish missionaries played a significant role in spreading the faith in Nigeria. We also celebrate the historic connection between our nations, as Archbishop Crotty becomes our first Apostolic Nuncio from Ireland, just as Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, who served as the first Apostolic Nuncio from Nigeria in Ireland.
We appreciate Archbishop Crotty’s acceptance of serving in Nigeria and assure him of our full support and cooperation.
We pray for a fruitful mission and a blessed tenure for Your Excellency.
Responding to this erudite address by the father of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, the newly appointed Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop, Michael F. Crotty, Titular Archbishop of Lindisfarne,
Apostolic Nuncio to Burkina Faso and Niger had this to say,
“My appointment as Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria is a cause of great joy for me and of profound gratitude to His Holiness Pope Francis for the honor that he has bestowed upon me. I pledge my utmost to serve to the best of my abilities as the Holy Father’s representative to all Nigerians, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.
As a native of Ireland, I can say that Nigeria is well known to the Irish people, particularly through the bonds of faith and friendship established by many generations of Irish missionaries. I take this opportunity, therefore, to pay tribute to the enduring legacy of Irish missionaries: bishops, priests, religious sisters, and lay missionaries. Of course, side-by-side with them, there have been countless other missionaries from many other countries.
From 2017 to 2022, H.E. Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo was the first Nigerian to serve as Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland and today I have the great joy of being the first Irishman to serve as Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria.
My appointment as Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria today providentially coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to whose maternal and loving care, I entrust my new mission. I invite all Nigerian Catholics, through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Patrick, patron of Ireland and Nigeria, to pray for the Holy Father Pope Francis”.
On behalf of RECOWA-CERAO, the umbrella body of all the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria, the President, Bishop Alexis Toably Youlo, the Secretary, Fr. Vitalis Chinedu Anaehobi and the entire presidential Council of this organization joyfully welcome the Nuncio to the most populous country in our Subregion. We are optimistic that he will correct the few minor mistakes made in Burkina and Niger for all optimal result in Nigeria.
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