Alfred Xuereb (born 14 October 1958) is a Maltese prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who has been the Apostolic Nuncio to both South Korea and Mongolia since February 2018. He previously worked in the Roman Curia and was a private secretary to

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

from 2007 to 2013 and to

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

from 2013 to 2014.

Biography

Alfred Xuereb was born in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(known also as Rabat) on the Maltese island of

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

on 14 October 1958. He studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

Roman Catholic theology Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on Biblical canon, canonical Catholic Bible, scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by ...

in Malta and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Gozo on 26 May 1984. He then studied at the

Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum The Teresianum, officially the Pontifical Theological Faculty and Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum (), is a pontifical faculty in Rome. It was established by the Discalced Carmelites for the study of scientific theology and anthro ...

where he earned a doctorate in theology, specialising in spirituality, with a thesis on “The Easter mystery in Christian Life”. He returned to pastoral service in Malta for several years. In September 1991 he joined the staff of the rector of the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Ponti ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He entered the service of the General Affairs Section of the Secretariat of State on 1 September 1995. In November 2000 he joined the

Prefecture of the Papal Household The Prefecture of the Papal Household is the office in charge of the Papal Household, a section of the Roman Curia that comprises the Papal Chapel (''Cappella Pontificia'') and the Papal Family (''Familia Pontificia''). The current Prefect of t ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

awarded him the papal title of

Honorary Prelate A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.Mieczysław Mokrzycki Mieczysław Mokrzycki (born 29 March 1961 in Majdan Lipowiecki) is the archbishop of Lviv. Early life and ordination Mokrzycki completed primary school in Łukawiec and Cieszanów, and then studied at the State Agricultural Technical School in ...

as his second private secretary. He accompanied the Pope on his trips. After the election of

in 2013, Xuereb became his first private secretary. On 28 November 2013, Pope Francis appointed him a delegate for the Pontifical Commission investigating the

Institute for the Works of Religion The Institute for the Works of Religion ( it, Istituto per le Opere di Religione; la, Institutum pro Operibus Religionis; abbreviated IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, is a financial institution situated inside Vatican City and run by a ...

(IOR) and for the Pontifical Commission on the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See. He was tasked with keeping the Pope informed of their procedures and initiatives. Continuing to place Xuereb in positions crucial to financial reform, on 3 March 2014, Pope Francis appointed him the first Secretary General of the

Secretariat for the Economy The Secretariat for the Economy ( it, Segreteria per l'economia) is a dicastery of the Roman Curia with authority over all economic activities of the Holy See and the Vatican City State. Description Pope Francis established the secretariat in ...

, a new department of the Roman Curia. On 26 February 2018, Pope Francis appointed Xuereb titular archbishop of

Amantea Amantea ( Calabrian: ; ) is a town, former bishopric, ''comune'' (municipality) and Latin Catholic titular see in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is the twentieth municipality in the region by population, while f ...

and apostolic nuncio for both

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

. Xuereb was consecrated bishop on 19 March 2018 in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

by Pope Francis. He chose as his episcopal motto ''Ut Unum Sint'', "that all may be one". Speaking of the 2018 Trump-Kim summit, Xuereb said that the Korean people and the local Church had been anxiously awaiting “these truly historic events.” He described the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as “marking an important page at the beginning of a long and arduous road”

Personal life

During a meeting with trainee clergy and

novices A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

in July 2013,

referred with admiration to the fact that Xuereb uses a bicycle for transportation.

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xuereb, Alfred 1958 births Living people Apostolic Nuncios to South Korea Apostolic Nuncios to Mongolia 20th-century Maltese Roman Catholic priests Pope Francis Pope Benedict XVI Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Commanders of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Bishops appointed by Pope Francis People from Victoria, Gozo 21st-century Maltese Roman Catholic priests

Biography

Personal life

See also

Sources

External links