Cameroon Gets New Apostolic Nuncio

Cameroon now has a new apostolic nuncio in the person of Mgr Julio Murat. He was appointed by the Vatican on March 24, 2018 to replace Mgr. Piero Pioppo, who has been posted to Indonesia since June 2017.

Of Turkish origin, Msgr. Julio Murat, 56, was ordained a priest in 1986 for the Diocese of Smyrna. A graduate in canon law, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See where he successively practiced in the nunciatures in Indonesia, Pakistan, Belarus and Austria, before joining the section of the Secretariat of State for relations with States in which he has, inter alia, followed the affairs of the Caucasus. Prior to his posting to Cameroon, he was still Apostolic Nuncio in Zambia and Malawi, where he had been practicing since 2012.

Some opinion holders think that the appointment of a new apostolic nuncio to Cameroon debunks claims by Jeune Afrique magazine that the relations between Yaoundé and Vatican are tense following the death of Bishop Bala of Bafia who is alleged to have been murdered and dumped into River Sanaga in the center region of Cameroon. 

Past Papal Representatives

Apostolic Nuncio: Archbishop Piero Pioppo (2010.01.25 – 2017.09.08)

Apostolic Nuncio: Archbishop Eliseo Antonio Ariotti (2003.07.17 – 2009.11.05)

Apostolic Nuncio: Archbishop Félix del Blanco Prieto (1996.05.04 – 1996.06.28)

Apostolic Nuncio: Archbishop Ernesto Gallina (1969.07.16 – 1971.03.13)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio: Archbishop Santos Abril y Castelló (later Cardinal) (1989.10.02 – 1996.02.24)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio: Archbishop Donato Squicciarini (1981.09.16 – 1989.07.01)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio: Archbishop Giuseppe Uhac (1976.10.07 – 1981.06.03)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio: Archbishop Luciano Storero (1973.06.30 – 1976.07.14)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio: Archbishop Jean Jadot (1971.05.15 – 1973.05.23)

Apostolic Pro-Nuncio: Archbishop Luigi Poggi (later Cardinal) (1966.10.31 – 1969.05.21)