Pope Francis names Filipino archbishop as new apostolic nuncio to Holy Land

Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana has been named apostolic nuncio to Israel and Cyprus and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine

Pope Francis on Thursday, June 3, appointed a Filipino archbishop as new apostolic nuncio to Israel and Cyprus.

Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, 73, was also named apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.

Prior to his new assignment, the Filipino prelate has been serving as apostolic nuncio to Australia since 2015.

Archbishop Yllana will succeed Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, who has been appointed apostolic nuncio to India in March.



Born in the city of Naga, south of Manila, on Feb. 6, 1948, Archbishop Yllana was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Caceres on March 19, 1972.

He later earned a doctorate in civil and canon law, and entered the Ecclesiastical Academy, the Holy See’s school of diplomacy.

After his studies, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See, serving successively at Pontifical Representations in Ghana, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Lebanon, Hungary and Taiwan.

In December 2001, St. John Paul II appointed Archbishop Yllana as apostolic nuncio to Papua New Guinea and consecrated him bishop on Jan. 6, 2002 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

He was later named head of the nunciature in the Solomon Islands.

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as apostolic nuncio to Pakistan and later apostolic nuncio to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010.

In February 2015, Pope Francis appointed him as apostolic nuncio to Australia.

Archbishop Yllana is one of three Filipino apostolic nuncios who are active in the service. The others are Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the nuncio to Spain, and Archbishop Francisco Padilla, the nuncio to Guatemala.

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