The recently appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Lesotho and South Africa has dedicated his first mass in Pretoria to the people of God.

The secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Pretoria Monsignor Dario Paviša together with representatives from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) welcomed Archbishop Henryk Mieczysław Jagodziński upon his arrival at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, July 14.

During the Sunday, July 14 mass celebrated alongside the Auxiliary Bishop of Pretoria Archdiocese Bishop Masilo John Selemela in the Chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature, Archbishop Jagodziński offered prayers to all people of God in Southern Africa.

Among those present at mass were the secretariat of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), the Ambassadors of Croatia and Polland His Excellencies Mr. Ante Cicvarić and Mr. Adam Burakowski, as well as Mr. Luigi Perlini and Mr. Robert Primitivo from the Italian Embassy.

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 in Lesotho and South 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.

Archbishop Jagodziński is to meet with the members of the SACBC during the second plenary session of the Catholic Bishops of Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa scheduled to take place in Mariannhill Diocese from August 5 to 9.