His Excellency Most Rev Adolfo Tito Yllana has been appointed the new Apostolic Nuncio to Australia.
Prior to this assignment, Yllana was the Titular Archbishop of Montecorvino and Apostolic Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Archbishop Yllana was born on February 6, 1948 in Naga City, Philippines. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Caceres, Philippines on March 19, 1972.
Following his doctorate in civil and canon law, Archbishop Yllana completed post-graduate studies in international diplomacy at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome.
The 67-year-old Archbishop speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and presumably, Tagalog and Bicol. The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, welcomed Archbishop Yllana’s appointment.
“On behalf of the bishops, priests, religious and people of our country, I am deeply grateful to Pope Francis for his nomination of Archbishop Adolfo Yllana as Apostolic Nuncio to Australia. It is an indication of the Holy Father’s love and concern for us all,” he said.
“Archbishop Yllana brings wide and diverse experience, great faith and priestly gifts. We assure him of a warm and enthusiastic welcome upon his arrival and service in Australia.”
There is unconfirmed news that the new Apostolic Nuncio to Australia is related to the retired Monsignor Florencio Yllana who also hails from the Bicol region. Monsignor Yllana was the custodian of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia which was stolen but later returned to the diocese.
A papal nuncio, officially known as an Apostolic Nuncio, is a diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state.