MALAWI: New Appointed Papal Envoy Visits Malawi, Attends Bishops Plenary
His Excellency Most. Rev. Gallone, Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi.
Hundreds of the Catholic faithful in Malawi thronged the Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) on Monday to receive the newly appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi, Archbishop Gianfranco Gallone.
His Excellency Most. Rev. Gallone was visiting Malawi for the first time since his appointment on 2 February 2019. The Holy Father Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Gallone as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia and Malawi, replacing Archbishop Julio Murat who has been sent to Cameroon where he is to serve in the same position.
The Nuncio is scheduled to become Malawi’s papal envoy when diplomatic issues have been sorted out.
Speaking at Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM)’s Catholic Secretariat in Lilongwe, the Nuncio said he was ‘quite impressed to learn that the clergy and lay Catholics continue to work together in evangelising Malawi as well as promoting the Catholic faith’.
“It’s true your Grace, that the laity are supporting the clergy to preserve the Catholic faith and to transmit to the younger generation the Catholic faith. Thank you so much and I invoke on you the blessing of the Good Lord to give you strength because this country has stagnated because of the natural disasters the country has suffered over the past years,” His Excellency Gallone said as he addressed the Chairman of ECM and Archbishop of Blantyre, Most Rev. Thomas Luke Msusa.
He lamented the abject poverty among Malawians but assured that he would ask the Pope to visit the country to encourage the faithful so that they remain steadfast in following Jesus Christ.
“Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. And Pope Francis loves the poor. So, I asked him that as he comes to visit Mozambique, he should also pay Malawi a visit as a lover of the poor people,” he said.
On this note His Excellency Gallone further pledged to support the local church to meet the social and spiritual needs of the faithful.
The Chairman of ECM Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa, said the appointment of Most Rev. Gallone to represent the Pope and the Catholic Church in Malawi signifies unity between the Vatican and the local Church.
“We are very happy because we now are able to share our faith and our challenges through him (the Nuncio) with Pope Francis. So, we are very happy. His first message to me was that he is happy to be in Malawi and we are working hard to construct a Nunciature so that, in the next few months he should relocate and stay right here in Malawi,” he said.
Most Rev. Gallone was born on 20th April 1963 in Ceglie Messapica (Brindisi) in Italy and was ordained Priest on 3rd September 1988 for the Diocese of Oria in Italy. He entered the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See on 19 June 2000. Subsequently he was posted to Mozambique, Israel, Slovakia, India and Sweden. Until his new appointment to Zambia, Monsignor Gallone was serving as an official at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
He is a holder of Doctoral degree in Canon Law and speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese and Slovak, in addition to his native Italian.
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By Watipaso Mzungu
