Newly appointed papal nuncio arrives in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The newly appointed Papal Nuncio to the Philippines arrived yesterday, in the midst of the controversial Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) fund scandal involving several Catholic bishops.

Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto arrived yesterday morning on board Cathay Pacific flight CX907 from Chile via Hong Kong.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar and other bishops welcomed the Papal Nuncio at the at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 at around 10 a.m.

“This church in the Philippines is made up of a people of profound faith and I hope to bring this faith to me and work together with them,” Pinto told reporters.

Also in the entourage that welcomed the Papal Nuncio were Msgr. Gabor Pinter and other prelates and Manila Rep. Naida Angping.

Pinto, previously the Papal Nuncio to Chile, is the 15th papal representative and the 10th Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

On May 10, Pope Benedict XVI officially named the Italian prelate as Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, a seat left by his predecessor, Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, last May 7.

Adams was reassigned to Greece after almost three years in the Philippines.

Pinto holds a doctorate in Canon Law and is fluent in Italian, French, English, and Spanish.

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on May 1, 1984. He has been posted in Papua New Guinea, Argentina, and Vatican City state secretariat. Pinto also served as Apostolic Nuncio to Senegal, Cape Verde, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau, and as apostolic delegate to Mauritania.

As Apostolic Nuncio, Pinto’s principal task will involve strengthening ties between the Pope and the Philippine president as well as local bishops.

Pinto’s arrival to the country came at a time when the Church’s image is challenged after some bishops allegedly accepted donations to buy sport utility vehicles from the state-run PCSO and became entangled in the ensuing scandal.