New Vatican envoy pledges to walk alongside Indian Church

NEW DELHI, (Indian Catholic News) — Archbishop Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag, newly appointed apostolic nuncio to India, has assured the country’s Catholic bishops that he will accompany the Church through listening, dialogue and collaboration, sharing its joys, hopes and challenges.

In a letter dated Nov. 14 from Dakar, Senegal, the Polish archbishop expressed his willingness to walk alongside the Indian bishops as they lead their respective Churches, promising to learn about their experiences and the communities entrusted to their pastoral care.

“From the outset, I wish to assure you of my sincere willingness to walk alongside you through listening, dialogue and collaboration, sharing in the joys and hopes, as well as in the challenges, that accompany the Church’s mission in your respective territories,” he wrote.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Archbishop Sommertag, until now apostolic nuncio to Senegal, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania, as Vatican’s diplomatic representative to India.

The announcement was made public in Rome at noon and in New Delhi at 4:30 p.m. Indian time. Father Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, announced the appointment in India.

A mission of communion and fraternity

The new nuncio said he embraced his appointment “with gratitude to God and to the Holy Father,” while recognising the responsibility entrusted to him as the pope’s representative.

He described accompanying the life of local Churches and fostering communion among their pastors as among the most significant dimensions of his mission.

“As I prepare to begin this mission, I look forward with great joy to discover the rich spiritual and cultural heritage of India, a land deeply rooted in traditions of hospitality, respect and encounter,” he said.

He also referred to the Indian expression Atithi Devo Bhava (Treat your guest as God), which recognises the sacred dignity of the guest and expresses a profound sense of welcome.

“May this spirit of hospitality also inspire our journey together, fostering mutual openness, trust and genuine fraternity,” he added.

Archbishop Sommertag acknowledged that every local Church has its own history, heritage and pastoral experiences that deserve recognition.

“Each particular Church has its own history, a rich heritage of experiences and a pastoral journey that deserve to be known, appreciated and valued,” he wrote.

He said he would welcome opportunities to meet the bishops personally, listen to their experiences and become more closely acquainted with the communities under their pastoral care.

He expressed hope that their encounters would foster “genuine fraternity, mutual enrichment and renewed enthusiasm in our common service to the People of God.”

Diplomatic career and new responsibilities

Born Feb. 6, 1968, in Więcbork, Poland, Sommertag was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pelplin on May 30, 1993.

He completed studies in diplomacy at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome in 2000.

He entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service on July 1, 2000, serving in Tanzania, Nicaragua, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Israel, Palestine and Cyprus.

From 2013 to 2018, he worked in the Vatican Secretariat of State’s Section for Relations with States as private secretary to the secretary for relations with states, the Holy See’s equivalent of a foreign minister.

Pope Francis appointed him titular archbishop of Maastricht and apostolic nuncio to Nicaragua on Feb. 15, 2018. He received episcopal ordination from Francis on March 19 that year in St. Peter’s Basilica.

On Sept. 6, 2022, he was appointed nuncio to Senegal, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania.

In his message to the Indian bishops, Archbishop Sommertag placed his new mission under the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the heavenly protection of St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

He concluded by invoking “an abundance of the Lord’s blessings” upon the bishops, their episcopal ministry and the Churches entrusted to their pastoral care.

Read the full text of the new nuncio’s message and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India announcement.