His Excellency Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, Titular Archbishop of Novica, has been appointed as the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland.


The 60-year-old archbishop from Kano in Nigeria who is the first African priest to hold such diplomatic role in Ireland is expected to resume to his new role in the summer.


He was appointed on Saturday, May 13, 2017, by the Holy Father, Pope Francis to replace Archbishop Charles Brown, the outgoing papal nuncio to Ireland who moves to Albania to take up a new diplomatic post.

In a statement released by Eamon Martin, the Archbishop of Armagh and leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, he welcomed the appointment saying:


'I warmly welcome the appointment by His Holiness Pope Francis of Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo as Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland and I wish him many blessings in his new role.


'Archbishop Okolo’s rich experience in the diplomatic service of the Holy See means that he brings many gifts to bear on his new mission in Ireland.


I pray that his time among us as the representative of the Holy Father will be blessed and fruitful.'


His Excellency Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo was born in Kano, Nigeria in 1956. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1983 for the Diocese of Nnewi.


Archbishop Jude who undertook his post-graduate studies in Rome, concluded with a doctorate in Canon Law and was called to the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See.


He began his first assignment in 1990, in Sri Lanka and later served in the following Pontifical Representations: Haiti, the Antillean Islands (including Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Saint Lucia, the Bahamas, Jamaica, etc.), Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Australia.


In 2008, Archbishop Okolo was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Central African Republic and Chad and in 2013 he was made the Apostolic Nuncio to the Dominican Republic and Apostolic Delegate in Puerto Rico.