Bernardito Cleopas Auza | |
|---|---|
| Apostolic Nuncio to theEuropean Union Titular Archbishop ofSuacia | |
 Archbishop Bernardito Auza | |
| In office | 22 March 2025 |
| Predecessor | Noël Treanor |
| Other post(s) | Titular Archbishop ofSuacia |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 29 June 1985 by Daniel Francis Walsh |
| Consecration | 3 July 2008 by Tarcisio Bertone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1959-06-10)10 June 1959 (age 65) |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Motto | UT DILIGATIS INVINCEM ("Love one another.") |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Bernardito Auza | |
|---|---|
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
Ordination history of Bernardito Auza | |||||||||
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Bernardito Cleopas Auza (born 10 June 1959) is aFilipino prelate of theCatholic Church. He is the current Apostolic Nuncio to Spain, appointed to that position on 1 October 2019. Prior to this, he served under the diplomatic service of theHoly See, as well as being thePermanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations from 2014 to 2019.[1] He is a member of thePriestly Fraternities of Saint Dominic.[2]
Auza was born on 10 June 1959, in Balintawak,Talibon, Bohol,Philippines,[3] the eighth of twelve children of Meliton Garcia Auza and Magdalena Polestico Cleopas. After preliminary education in Talibon, he entered the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Tagbilaran City. He then enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, where he obtained his Licentiate in Philosophy in 1981, Licentiate in Theology in 1986, and Masters in Education also in 1986.[4]
Auza was ordained a priest by BishopDaniel Francis Walsh of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California on 29 June 1985.
At thePontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), he obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law in 1989 and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1990. He attended thePontifical Ecclesiastical Academy to prepare for a diplomat's career.[4]
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 June 1990 and worked in Madagascar and the South Indian Ocean (1990–93), Bulgaria (1993–96), Albania (1997–98), theSecretariat of State in the Section for Relations with States (1999–2006), and the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the UN (2006–08).[3]
On 8 May 2008,Pope Benedict XVI named AuzaTitular Archbishop ofSuacia andApostolic Nuncio to Haiti.[3]He was consecrated as a bishop on 3 July 2008 by CardinalTarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State.[5]
On 2 July 2014,Pope Francis appointed him Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York representing the Holy See.[6] On 16 July, his responsibilities were expanded to include the role ofPermanent Observer to the Organization of American States (OAS).[7]
In October 2014 Auza called for a broad definition of the term “rule of law” that includes respect, dignity, and justice. The rule of law should be “both rationally and morally grounded upon the substantial principles of justice, including the inalienable dignity and value of every human person prior to any law or social consensus,” said Archbishop Berardito Auza, the nuncio, in a statement made during a committee meeting at the UN General Assembly. “As a consequence of the recognition of this dignity, those elements of fundamental justice such as respect for the principle of legality,” Archbishop Auza said, “the presumption of innocence and the right to due process.” Among nations, he added, the rule of law should mean “the paramount respect of human rights, equality of the rights of nations; and respect for international customary law, treaties … and other sources of international law. This definition, with its reference point in the natural law, sidesteps self-referential definitional frameworks and anchors the orientation of the rule of law within the ultimate and essential goal of all law, namely to promote and guarantee the dignity of the human person and the common good.”[8]
In the same speech, he noted the Vatican’s hope that “the alarming, escalating phenomenon ofinternational terrorism, new in some of its expressions and utterly ruthless in its barbarity, be an occasion for a deeper and more urgent study on how to re-enforce the international juridical framework of a multilateral application of our common responsibility to protect people from all forms of unjust aggression.”[9]
His assignment to the OAS ended on 31 August 2019.[10]
Pope Francis appointed himapostolic nuncio to Spain and toAndorra on 1 October 2019.[11]
On 22 March 2025, Pope Francis appointed him as nuncio to theEuropean Union.[12]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Titular Archbishop of Suacia 2008–present | Incumbent |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti 2008–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations 2014–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Spain andAndorra 2019–2025 | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to theEuropean Union 2025–present | Incumbent |
