The Pope has accepted the resignation due to age of the apostolic nuncio in Germany, Monsignor Nikola Eterović, and has appointed as his successor Monsignor Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, as reported by the Holy See.
The decision brings to an end Eterović’s diplomatic tenure at the head of the nunciature in Germany, one of the key postings in Vatican diplomacy due to the ecclesiastical and political weight of the country.
End of an Era for Nikola Eterović
Monsignor Nikola Eterović is leaving the position after reaching the age limit established for pontifical representatives. During his tenure in Germany, he has witnessed a period marked by highly relevant ecclesiastical debates, especially regarding doctrinal, disciplinary, and ecclesiastical governance issues.
A Change in a Strategic Posting
The new nuncio, Monsignor Hubertus van Megen, until now the pontifical representative in Kenya, will assume the Holy See’s mission in Germany, where the Church is going through a moment marked by doctrinal tensions and the development of the controversial German “Synodal Way.”
His arrival therefore takes place in a particularly delicate scenario, in which the German nunciature maintains a relevant role as a channel of relationship between Rome and one of Europe’s most problematic episcopal conferences.
Hubertus van Megen
Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen was born on February 9, 1961, in the Netherlands and was ordained a priest in 1990 for the Diocese of Roermond. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1994, since then developing a career in various pontifical representations.
Before his appointment to Germany, he worked in various international postings and was called to assume increasing responsibilities within the Vatican diplomatic corps. In 2014, he was appointed titular archbishop of Novaliciana and apostolic nuncio to Sudan, a mission that was later extended to Eritrea. Later, he was designated apostolic nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan, as well as the Holy See’s permanent observer to United Nations agencies linked to the environment and human settlements.