Pope Leo XIV has appointed Msgr. Andrés Carrascosa Coso as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal. According to Vatican media reports, the Spanish prelate, until now the pontifical representative in Ecuador, will assume the diplomatic mission in the Iberian country, one of the historically most relevant destinations in the network of nunciatures due to its Catholic weight and its deeply rooted Marian tradition.
Msgr. Carrascosa Coso is the Titular Archbishop of Elo and has a wide-ranging career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. His experience spans various nunciatures and responsibilities across several continents, which has consolidated him as a figure of solid profile within the Vatican diplomatic corps.
A Diplomat with International Experience
Born in Cuenca (Spain), Carrascosa Coso entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in the 1990s. Since then, he has served in various pontifical representations and carried out missions in Africa, Asia, America, and in the Secretariat of State. In 2004, he was appointed nuncio to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in 2009 to Kenya, a position he held along with the representation to the international organizations based in Nairobi. Subsequently, in 2017, he was designated nuncio to Ecuador, where he has been valued for his approachable style and mediation capacity.
His transfer to Portugal represents a significant step, as the country hosts one of the world’s most important Marian shrines, Fátima, and maintains a long tradition of intense relations with the Holy See.
A Key Nunciature for the Iberian and European Context
The presence of the nuncio in Portugal not only has a diplomatic dimension but also an ecclesial one. The nunciature participates in the episcopal appointment processes and is a strategic point for communication between Rome and the local churches.
Vatican sources emphasize that his experience in complex contexts and his dialogue capacity will be a valuable contribution to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, which is going through an internal renewal process and facing debates on the transmission of faith in an increasingly secularized society.