Senior Catholic bishops have paid tribute to the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland Charles Brown, who has completed his term.
A Vatican communiqué issued on Thursday said the nuncio will shortly be moving to Albania, but did not say anything about his likely successor.
Archbishop Brown’s appointment by Pope Benedict in November 2011 followed the publication of four reports into clerical child sex abuse.
Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin praised the nuncio’s “energy, courtesy, openness, warmth and cooperativeness” and said he had “endeared himself to so many people in Ireland”.
He had travelled “the length and breadth of the island, serving Pope Francis and previously Pope Benedict as the representative of the Holy See”.
“Thanks to his down to earth and friendly nature, many Irish people have had the opportunity to meet with the ‘Pope’s ambassador’ and chat to him about the living Church in Ireland. I know that he has very much appreciated and valued this interaction,” Archbishop Martin said.
Source: The Irish Times