The Irish Catholic invited the retiring Papal Nuncio to Ireland to reflect on his life and ministry
I hope my attempt to answer some of the questions that might interest readers of The Irish Catholic about my personal experience in the priestly ministry will not disappoint them.
My vocation to the priesthood was born at university, specifically at the Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires, during a very violent period in Argentine society. It was linked to a long process of growth in my personal experience of Jesus, through meditation on the Gospels.
Service
Difficult to explain in detail, but essentially it was a rediscovery of the faith received in my family and a willingness to dedicate my life to following the Lord’s will, without excluding the possibility of the priestly ministry. Jesus’ call was to the ministerial priesthood; diplomatic service to the Holy See was not in my plans. Rather, it was a proposal from my Archbishop, who wanted to assist the Holy Father in his Ministry by offering a member of the Presbyterate of Buenos Aires. God is full of surprises indeed!
As you know, I have served diplomatically in many countries, practically on every continent, for 35 years, and in all of them I can say that I have been personally enriched. But certainly, the greatest challenges, from a cultural point of view, came with my first experience in Africa, in Ethiopia, the first diplomatic posting, and in Thailand, which provided me with my first experience in Asia, in much of Southeast Asia, as we were also responsible for Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
In a sense, it has introduced me for the first time to the problems and hopes of the European Union”
However, the countries whose political adventures and misadventures I still follow with great attention are the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I was gently asked to retire “for my own safety,” and Colombia, where Pope Francis entrusted me with the mission of supporting the peace process with the National Liberation Army (ELN). I remain emotionally connected to their people and their local churches.
Ireland has been my first experience of diplomatic responsibilities in Europe, and in a sense, it has introduced me for the first time to the problems and hopes of the European Union. As you can imagine, my first strong impression has been the rapid change in Irish society, very different from the one I had known in Dublin 38 years earlier, and particularly with regard to the role of the Catholic Church in public life. But contrary to what one might expect, because of my responsibilities in the process of reorganising the ecclesiastical circumscriptions, in visiting the communities of the West and North of Ireland, I have been able to witness the generous commitment of so many lay faithful, men and women, to sustaining the life and ministry of the Church in the parishes and dioceses. I can say that I have perceived an intense, hidden vitality which, I have no doubt, will bear visible fruit in the synodal process we are experiencing and in the resurgence of vocations to the ministerial and religious life.
Spirit
After almost 42 years of priestly ministry in so many different parts of the world, I believe I am now much more aware of the spiritual fragility of the human person and, at the same time, of God’s infinite mercy. I have come to understand better the singular statement of St Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is fully stretched out in weakness.” I believe this is one of the reasons why I want to use my retirement years from the Diplomatic Service to help, as long as I can, in parish ministry in my city.
I hope to have satisfied some of the curiosity of The Irish Catholic readers.