WelCom October 2022
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference have welcomed Fr Giosuè Busti from Perugia, Umbria in Italy, on his arrival in Aotearoa New Zealand to take up his appointment as First Secretary-Deputy Head of Mission at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Wellington.
The Apostolic Nunciature is the diplomatic office of the Vatican in New Zealand, equivalent to an embassy.
Fr Busti was born in Assisi, Umbria, in central Italy, noted as being the birthplace of St Francis of Assisi (1181–1266), founder of the Franciscan order.
He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve in Umbria in June 2019. His qualifications include a PhD in Canon Law from Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Perugia and a Bachelor of Theology from Assisi Theological Institute.
Fr Busti arrived in New Zealand in late August and replaces Monsignor José Martínez Franco, whose term finished in January this year.
Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, appointed to Wellington in 2019, is the Apostolic Nuncio – the Pope’s chief diplomatic representative in Aotearoa New Zealand.