Will the next nuncio to the US come from south of the border?

Vatican City, Mar 10, 2016 / 13:27 pm

Since Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States, celebrated his 75th birthday Jan. 16, it is expected that his replacement will soon be named by the Holy See.

Amid this expectation, Vaticanista Sandro Magister wrote March 10 on his blog Settimo Cielo that 70-year-old Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to Mexico, will "imminently" be promoted as nuncio to the United States.

Archbishop Pierre, a Frenchman, was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Rennes in 1970. In 1995 he was consecrated a bishop and appointed apostolic nuncio to Haiti. He served there until 1999, when he was transferred to Uganda. And he has been apostolic nuncio to Mexico since 2007.

A source close to the Mexican bishops' conference told CNA that Archbishop Pierre "is known for suggesting solid, reliable candidates to the episcopate."

Magister, meanwhile, charged that Pope Francis "has in mind" a change in the character of the episcopate in the United States, citing his 2014 appointment of Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago. Archbishop Cupich replaced Cardinal Francis George, who retired at the age of 77.

Magister characterized Archbishop Pierre as a "Bergoglian," and someone in whom Francis confides.

"With the Bergoglian Pierre as the new nuncio, and thus with a key role in the appointment of bishops, the reshaping of the American episcopate will have a notable acceleration," Magister wrote.