Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński as Apostolic Nuncio to Eswatini and Namibia. This appointment was made public by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday 18 July 2024. As of Thursday, July 18, Archbishop Jagodziński will represent the Holy Father, Pope Francis in four countries, namely Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.
Born in Małogoszcz, Poland on 1 January 1969, Archbishop Jagodziński was ordained a Priest in the Diocese of Kielce on 3 June 1995.
The graduate in Canon Law who speaks English, Polish, Croatian, French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish entered the Holy See’s Diplomatic Service in July 2001.
He subsequently served in the Pontifical Representations in Belorussia, in Croatia, at the Section for Relations with the States of the Secretariate of State, at the Apostolic Nunciature in India, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Before his appointment to Southern Africa, the 55-year-old Polish-born diplomat was serving as the representative of the Holy Father in Ghana. Archbishop Jagodziński succeeds Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells who was transferred to the Vatican Diplomatic Mission in Thailand and Cambodia in February 2023.
As the IMBISA Region we welcome Archbishop Jagodziński in our region and we assure him of our prayers and support in his ministry.