By Vatican News
Pope Francis has last week appointed Australian Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Tito Yllana as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Cyprus and Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine.
The Filipino prelate has already represented the Holy See on four continents, including Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
Now Pope Francis is calling him to carry out an important mission in the Holy Land.
Prior to this appointment, 73-year-old Archbishop Yilana had been serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Australia since 2015.
He will succeed Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, who was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to India last March.
Born on 6 February 1948 in Naga City, Philippines, Adolfo Tito Yllana was ordained a priest on 19 March 1972.
He graduated as Doctor juris utriusque (Doctor of Both Laws) at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
After completing his studies at the Ecclesiastical Academy, in 1984 he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See, serving successively at Pontifical Representations in Ghana, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Lebanon, Hungary and Taiwan.
In December 2001, Pope St John Paul II appointed him as Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and consecrated him Bishop on 6 January 2002 in St Peter’s Basilica (titular archbishop of Montecorvino).
Subsequently he entrusted him with the leadership of the nunciature in the Solomon Islands. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan in 2006 and Apostolic Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010.
In February 2015, Pope Francis appointed him as Apostolic Nuncio to Australia.