Archbishop Pint�r arrives as Pope�s new ambassador

Pope Francis� new ambassador to New Zealand and the Pacific has formally presented his credentials to Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, formalising his latest posting as a member of the Vatican�s diplomatic service.

The Holy Father announced in July that Hungarian Archbishop G�bor Pint�r would take up the Wellington-based appointment, which follows missions as Nuncio in Belarus and in Honduras.

His earlier diplomatic service had included stints in Haiti, Bolivia, Sweden, France, Algeria, the Philippines and Austria.

Archbishop Pint�r said his initial reaction when he was asked to moved to Oceania was �I am following Archbishop Novatus�.

Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, whose time as Nuncio in New Zealand ended after he suffered a serious stroke last year, had served in Honduras immediately before Archbishop Pint�r.

He also realised that the new appointment would mean that he has served on every continent where the Church has diplomats.

�This continent had been missing from my life, so I can say now that my life is complete,� he said, jokingly.

But at just 60, Archbishop Pint�r likely has many years of service ahead of him.

One of the key tasks of a Nuncio is overseeing the process of recommending potential bishops as incumbents approach the mandatory retirement age of 75 or dioceses become vacant.

In New Zealand, all six dioceses currently have bishops, with no vacancies expected in the next 12 years or more. Across the 17 dioceses of the Pacific, most bishops are also much younger than 75.

With less emphasis on that identification of future bishops in the short term, Archbishop Pint�r says he will therefore have more time to visit Catholic communities across the far-flung region and share Pope Francis� vision.

�It is important for nuncios to make pastoral visits, to be among the people and to transmit the message of the Pope,� he said.

�It\'s a great honour for me to be a representative of the Holy Father and to go in many countries of the world and to be some kind of bridge between the Pope and the local church.�

�We cannot know the future, but I think much of my time will be dedicated to those pastoral visits, to talk to bishops, priests, religious and laity, to make connections and to have the chance to assure the presence and the closeness of the Pope among these peoples.�

Those pastoral visits will allow Archbishop Pint�r to enflesh the information that he has received about the Church in New Zealand and the Pacific.

�I have already learned a lot, but normally I would only work in a single country, but here I have New Zealand, but also 11 other territories in the Pacific, each with their own laws, their own government,� he reflected.

�I know also that there are a lot of differences between New Zealand and the islands, and within the Pacific Islands there are a lot of differences. So I have to learn, and to learn I, of course, have to listen to people. That\'s my first very important task.�

Before that process of listening and learning begins in earnest, Archbishop Pint�r has flown to Hungary with a heavy heart. As he was preparing to travel to New Zealand, he received news that his 95-year-old mother had died.

Archbishop Pint�r will spend about a week with family and friends, before returning to New Zealand and deepening his knowledge of the Church, the countries and the people of his vast territory covering tens of millions of square kilometres � the largest for any papal ambassador in the world.

�I am very happy to be here and to be able to share all of my experiences. I look forward to enjoying this wonderful country,� he said.

In addition to his Church responsibilities, Archbishop Pint�r will also participate in civic affairs with governments, with other ambassadors and with the diplomatic corps.