Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Antonio Franco as the apostolic nuncio to Israel and Cyprus, and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.
Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Antonio Franco as the apostolic nuncio to Israel and Cyprus, and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.
Archbishop Franco, 68, replaces Archbishop Pietro Sambi, who was appointed apostolic nuncio to the United States, the Vatican press office reported Saturday.
Antonio Franco was ordained in 1960, after obtaining a doctorate in theology and canon law. He entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1972.
He served in the pontifical representations of Bolivia, Iran, France, and in the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York.
In 1992 he was appointed apostolic nuncio to Ukraine. In 1999 he was appointed apostolic nuncio to the Philippines.
