Papal Nuncio, Monsignor Janusz Stanislaw Urbañczyk said he is coming to Zimbabwe with an
open mind to learn and to know about the country, the people, and the church.
Speaking to Jesuit Communications upon his arrival at Robert Mugabe International Airport, the
Representative of the Holy See said he has a great desire to be with the church in Zimbabwe and
to present the Holy Father and his concern for Zimbabwe.
Monsignor Janusz Urbañczyk is a Polish priest of the Catholic Church who works in the
diplomatic service of the Holy See. He was appointed by Pope Francis as the new Apostolic
Nuncio to Zimbabwe on January 25, 2024, and was consecrated as an archbishop on April 6,
2024.
He replaced Archbishop Paolo Rudelli who was transferred to Columbia.
Nunciature secretary, Fillipe Fabiano said the new nuncio will work with the Zimbabwe Catholic
Bishops Conference to promote the mission of the church and also promote what the Pope is
saying to his Church.
He said he is willing to do what the nuncio assigned him.
“I will be waiting for directions from him to improve the church in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The Secretary General for ZCBC, Father Travis Moyo CSsR said the Conference will be there to share with him what the church in Zimbabwe is like.
He said during his stay he will be invited to different dioceses so that he can encounter the local
church and also bring his experiences from where he is coming from.
“He is not going to be isolated at his residence, he will be engaged with ZCBC.
The Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Harare said the arrival of a new papal nuncio will help
them solve some of the challenges that the local church is currently experiencing.
Archbishop Robert Ndlovu said the coming of Monsignor Janusz will help facilitate the process
of the appointment of the new Bishop of Chinhoyi Diocese.
He also said the coming of the Holy See’s representative gives the dimension of universality of
the church and shows communion with the rest of the global Church.
“He is not just coming to Zimbabwe as a representative, but for us as the church as he becomes
the bridge between the local church and the Holy Father.
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