Fernando Chica Arellano (born 24 June 1963) is a Spanish priest of the
Catholic Church who has worked in the diplomatic service of the
Holy See since 2002. He has been the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) since 2015.
Biography
Fernando Chica Arellano was born in
Mengíbar
Mengíbar is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2006 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center
* Instituto Nacional de Estadístic ...
,
Jaén,
Spain, on 24 June 1963. He earned a doctorate in dogmatic theology and was ordained a priest of the
Diocese of Jaén on 19 April 1987.
[ He then fulfilled pastoral assignments in various parishes while serving as director of the Cardenal Merino residence at the diocesan seminary.
In preparation for a career in the diplomatic service he completed the course of study at the ]Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy ( la, Pontificia Ecclesiastica Academia, it, Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic c ...
in 2000. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 July 2002. His first assignment was as secretary to the Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. He then worked in the office of the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, and then in Rome in the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State,[ where he became head of the Spanish-language Section. In June 2008, ]Cardinal Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae,
it, Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the ...
Tarcisio Bertone gave him the additional assignment of assistant to the President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.
On 12 February 2015, Pope Francis appointed Chica Permanent Observer of the Holy See to three international food and agriculture agencies based in Rome: FAO, IFAD
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD; french: link=no, Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA)) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address ...
, and PAM.
See also
* List of heads of the diplomatic missions of the Holy See
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chica Arellano, Fernando
Living people
1963 births
People from Jaén, Spain
Spanish Roman Catholic priests
Diplomats of the Holy See