Luanda — Angolan Vice President, Esperança da Costa, participated, on Wednesday, in Luanda, in the farewell ceremony to the Apostolic Nuncio of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, Dom Giovanni Gaspari.
The event took place in the Catholic parish of Sagrada Família (Holy Family), the place chosen for Dom Giovanni Gaspari to say goodbye to the Angolans.
The ceremony was attended by the National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, the ruling MPLA party's vice-presidents, Luísa Damião, opposition UNITA MP, Arlete Liona Chimbinda, the former Vice-President of the Republic, Bornito de Sousa, and members of the diplomatic bodies accredited in the country.
When speaking at the celebration, the Nuncio expressed feelings of gratitude for the time he spent with Angolans over almost four years.
He said that he was a witness to the path and events that marked the church in Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, being an opportunity to become aware of the challenges that the world faces today.
According to the religious man, serving as the Pope's representative in Angola was a great "gift" that will forever be engraved in his heart and mind, as serving the people constituted a reason for human and spiritual enrichment.
In turn, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, said that the prelate leaves a great legacy of faith and love in the church.
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He added that the Nuncio played a leading role as a partner of the State.
On the occasion, the chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (C.E.A.S.T), Dom José Manuel Imbamba, thanked him for the work done in both countries.
He highlighted Dom Giovanni's commitment to uniting the church and brothers, as well as to the growth of the Catholic Gospel in these two countries.
Dom Giovanni Gaspari was born on June 6, 1963 in Pescara, Italy, and was ordained a priest on July 4, 1987 and incardinated in the Archdiocese of Pescara - Penne. He holds a doctorate in Canon Law, after being admitted to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy for training in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on July 1, 2001 and served in pontifical diplomatic missions in Iran, Albania, Mexico and Lithuania. He is fluent in Italian, English and Spanish.
On September 21, 2020, Pope Francis appointed Dom Giovanni Gaspari as the new apostolic nuncio (representative of the Vatican State) in Angola and São Tomé.
Subsequently, the nuncio was ordained with the title of archbishop on October 17, 2020.
Last March, the Pope appointed Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari as apostolic nuncio to South Korea and Mongolia, replacing Dom Alfred Xuereb.
