New Apostolic Nuncio Eager to Experience “what it means to be Catholic” in Nigeria

Abuja, 24 October, 2024 / 8:26 PM

The representative of the Holy Father in Nigeria has expressed his eagerness and desire to serve the Church and the people of God in the West African country.

Speaking at his welcome ceremony at the Apostolic Nunciature in Abuja, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for his appointment and to the Church in Nigeria for the warm welcome.

“I look forward to the Nigerian experience of what it means to be Catholic,” Archbishop Crotty said Wednesday, October 23 the day of his arrival in Africa’s most populous nation.

On his part, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Nigeria’s Kaduna Archdiocese on behalf of members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) assured the Nuncio of the full cooperation from all Nigerian bishops and the entire Church in Nigeria. 

Born in Mallow, Ireland, in 1970, Archbishop Crotty was ordained a Priest in 1994. He pursued further studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a Licentiate in Ecclesiastical History and Canon Law and a doctorate in Ecclesiastical History.

He was enrolled in the Vatican diplomatic service on 1 February 2001. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI named him his Chaplain.

Before he started his service as Apostolic Nuncio to Burkina Faso and Niger following his Episcopal Ordination in August 2020, Archbishop Crotty had served in various Apostolic Nunciatures, including Kenya, Canada, Iraq, Jordan, and Spain.

In Nigeria, the Irish-born Vatican diplomat succeeds Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, who was transferred to Poland in August 2023 after representing the Holy Father in the West African nation since 2017.