The new apostolic nuncio to Germany arrived in Berlin. The eleventh diplomatic representative of the pope in the postwar history of the country is Archbishop Nikola Eterovic.
The Vatican diplomat was met by the local ordinary Rainer Maria Woelki. In his speech he emphasized the fact that one in five Catholics in Berlin is not German and the hierarch perceives this as a special sign of the ecumenicalism of the church and the scope of work for the nuncio.
The general secretary of the German Bishops’ Conference Hans Langendorfer SJ Nuncio conveyed greetings from Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German Bishops' Conference, who promised to support the Vatican diplomat in building the next bridges between the Vatican and Germany.
Nicola Eterovic was born in Croatia. He is 63 years old. For 33 years he worked in the Vatican diplomatic service. The last nine years the hierarch was secretary general of the Synod of Bishops. From 1999 to 2004, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic was the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine. He speaks nine languages.