Antoine Camilleri (prelate)

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Antoine Camilleri
Camilleri in 2016
Camilleri in 2016
ChurchCatholic Church
Appointed31 October 2019
PredecessorLuigi Bianco
Other post(s)Titular Archbishop of Skálholt
Orders
Ordination5 July 1991
Consecration4 October 2019
by Pope Francis
RankArchbishop
Personal details
Born (1965-08-20) 20 August 1965 (age 58)
Sliema, Malta
NationalityMaltese
Previous post(s)
MottoBenedictum Lignum Per Quod Fit Iustitia
Coat of armsAntoine Camilleri's coat of arms
Styles of
Antoine Camilleri
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleArchbishop

Antoine Camilleri (born 20 August 1965) is a Maltese prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Under-Secretary for Relations with States in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, until he was named an archbishop and given the title of apostolic nuncio in 2019. He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1999.

Biography[edit]

Camilleri was born in Sliema, Malta on 20 August 1965. He attended St. Joseph's School, Sliema, and St. Aloysius' College, Birkirkara. He graduated Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta in 1988.

He was ordained to the priesthood on 5 July 1991 and was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Malta. He served as vice parish priest at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Gzira (1991–92). To study canon law he entered the Pontifical Lateran University in 1992 and obtained a doctorate. In 1996 he was appointed Defender of the Bond at the Archdiocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal (1996–97) of Malta.[1]

He attended the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy[2] and on 9 January 1999 joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He served in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Papua New Guinea (1999–2002), Uganda (2002–05), and Cuba (2005–06), and then in Rome in the offices of the Secretariat of State.[1]

On 22 February 2013, a few days before the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI from the papacy, he was appointed to replace Ettore Balestrero as Under-Secretary for Relations with States.[3] In that position, roughly equivalent to that of a deputy foreign minister, he played a role in negotiations with many nations, including Israel,[4][5] Palestine,[6] China,[7][8] and Vietnam.[9][10] Speaking on 27 February 2019 at a debate on migration at the United Nations, he said:[11]

If someone were listening to the news for the very first time today, they might assume that migration is synonymous with border insecurity, humanitarian disaster, and human trafficking. The time-tested truth that migration is largely regular, the sign of a healthy economy and the bedrock of many modern nation-states rarely make the news. Yet, when we take a closer look at our own personal history or that of the communities and countries where we live together, one easily recognizes the obvious: migration, especially when it is well-managed, safe, orderly and regular, makes an undeniably positive and necessary contribution to the development of culture, the economy, and society.

On 3 September 2019, Pope Francis named him titular archbishop of Skálholt and gave him the title of apostolic nuncio.[12] He received his episcopal consecration from Francis on 4 October.[13] On 31 October, Pope Francis named him apostolic nuncio to Ethiopia and Djibouti, special representative at the African Union, and apostolic delegate to Somalia.[14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Deguara, Stephen (22 February 2013). "Mgr Antoine Camilleri appointed Under-Secretary for The Holy See's relations with States". The Church in Malta.
  2. ^ "Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999". Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (in Italian). Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine (Continuazione), 22.02.2013" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  4. ^ Calamur, Krishnadev (13 May 2015). "Vatican Officially Recognizes State Of Palestine". NPR. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Vatican, Israel closing to resolving property, tax issues". Times of Israel. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  6. ^ Wooden, Cathy (13 May 2015). "Vatican-Palestine accord supports 'two-state' solution". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  7. ^ "China Catholic bishops: Historic deal with Vatican reached". BBC. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  8. ^ Guénois, Jean-Marie (22 September 2018). "Le Vatican annonce un accord préliminaire historique avec la Chine". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Seventh Meeting of the Vietnam – Holy See Joint Working Group". Zenit. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  10. ^ Pham, Joachim (30 September 2014). "Vatican, Vietnam hope to foster closer relations". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Msgr. Antoine Camilleri at UN: Migration a Bedrock of Many Modern Nations". Zenit. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 03.09.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Ordinazione Episcopale conferita dal Santo Padre Francesco, 04.10.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 31.10.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Under-Secretary for Relations with States
22 February 2013 – 2019 		Incumbent


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