VATICAN CITY (CNS): Pope John Paul II has named an official from the Vatican’s justice and peace council as the Holy See’s new representative to UN Geneva-based organisations.
The Vatican announced the appointment of council secretary, Irish Bishop Diarmuid Martin, on January 16, adding that the Pope had also elevated him to the rank of archbishop.
Archbishop Martin’s predecessor in Geneva, Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello, was named apostolic nuncio to Mexico on December 27.
Speaking to Catholic News Service just after the appointment was made public, Archbishop Martin, 55, said the news came as a “surprise, because I don’t come from the traditional Vatican diplomatic service”.
“But I think perhaps that … the Pope sees this position as not a routine diplomatic post. He’s always stressed the importance he attributes to the United Nations in today’s world,” the archbishop told CNS.
