Pope Francis has appointed two priests from the province of Cebu in the Philippines, located in the Central Visayas region, to serve in significant positions within the Holy See worldwide.
The Archdiocese of Cebu announced that Msgr. Jan Thomas Limchua has been appointed as the Counselor of the Apostolic Nunciature in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Fr. Hezron Jhud Cartagena has been named the Attaché of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ivory Coast.
Msgr. Limchua boasts a distinguished service record within the Vatican, having served as an official of the Section for Relations with States under the Secretariat of State of the Holy See since 2020, as well as a Papal Chaplain.
His diplomatic career began in September 2014, with postings in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Benin and Togo, West Africa, and later in Egypt. He completed his theological studies at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain. He earned a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
He was ordained as a priest in the Archdiocese of Cebu in 2010, Msgr. Limchua underwent diplomatic formation at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Vatican's diplomatic school.
Fr. Cartagena, who recently completed a missionary year in Brazil, is set to officially join the Vatican's Diplomatic Service with his appointment to Ivory Coast.
Both Msgr. Limchua and Fr. Cartagena are the third and fourth priests from Cebu to serve in the church's diplomatic service, following in the footsteps of Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus of Korea, and Archbishop Francisco Padilla, Apostolic Nuncio to Guatemala.
According to the Archdiocese of Cebu’s Spokesperson, Msgr. Joseph Tan, Pope Francis' appointments of Filipino priests underscore his deep trust in the capabilities of Filipino clergy to administer and undertake missionary work globally.
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