Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia (picture, left), the newly appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Romania, arrived in Bucharest on Sunday evening, January 10, according to a Facebook post of the Bucharest Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s spokesman Francisc Dobos.

The new Apostolic Nuncio to Romania (the Vatican ambassador to Romania) met Lazar Comanescu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (picture, right), on Monday, January 11. According to a Ministry statement, the Romanian official congratulated the Archbishop for is appointment and assured him of the Romanian authorities’ full support in his mission, including that of dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Bucharest.

Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia as Apostolic Nuncio to Romania on December 5, 2015. This position has been vacant since July last year, after the withdrawal of Archbishop Francisco-Javier Lozano. Archbishop Baudouin Biajila Muankembe held this position between July and December.

Miguel Maury Buendia was born in Madrid in November 1955. In 2008, he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Italica and Apostolic Nuncio to Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan. In June the same year, Buendia received episcopal ordination in the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome.

He speaks Italian, English, French, Russian, and Slovenian. Among other distinctions, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia received the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Kingdom of Spain), the Medal of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (Holy See) and the Medal of the Order of Mercy (Kazakhstan).

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: mae.ro)