The Holy See has announced the appointment of Archbishop Tomasz Grysa as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda, ushering in a new phase in diplomatic and ecclesiastical relations between the Vatican and the Ugandan Catholic Church.
The appointment, made by Pope Leo XIV, was confirmed on Thursday afternoon in an official communication released by Rev. Fr. Georges Kwami Kouwonou, Chargé d’Affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature, at exactly 1:00 p.m.
In the statement, the Vatican confirmed that Archbishop Grysa, a seasoned diplomat of the Holy See and Titular Archbishop of Rubicon, will take up the post as the Pope’s representative to both the Government of Uganda and the Catholic Church in the country.
Archbishop Grysa brings with him decades of diplomatic experience within the Vatican’s global foreign service. Until his new appointment, he was serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Madagascar, Seychelles, and Mauritius, while also holding responsibilities as Apostolic Delegate to Comoros and La Réunion.
Born in Poznań, Poland on October 16, 1970, Grysa was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Poznań in 1995 and later earned a doctorate in Canon Law. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 2001, beginning a career that has taken him across multiple continents.
His previous postings include assignments in the Russian Federation, India, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, and Israel, as well as service within the Apostolic Delegation in Jerusalem and Palestine. He has also worked at the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York, reflecting his broad international diplomatic exposure.
Fluent in several languages including English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and his native Polish, Archbishop Grysa is regarded as one of the Vatican’s most experienced multilingual diplomats.
He succeeds Archbishop Luigi Bianco of Italy, who served as Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda from 2019 until mid-2025 before being reassigned to Slovenia by Pope Leo XIV.
The Apostolic Nunciature in Uganda plays a dual role, acting as the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the state while also serving as a key liaison with the local Catholic hierarchy. Uganda and the Holy See formally established diplomatic relations in 1966, shortly after the country gained independence.
Over the decades, Uganda has hosted a succession of Vatican representatives, beginning with early envoys such as Archbishop Amelio Poggi, followed by diplomats including Archbishop Luigi Bellotti and Archbishop Henri Lemaître.
In later years, the mission was led by figures such as Archbishop Christophe Pierre, who would later become a cardinal and serve in Washington, D.C., as well as Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam and Archbishop Michael August Blume.
Archbishop Grysa’s arrival is expected to strengthen ongoing cooperation between the Vatican and Uganda, particularly in areas of education, peacebuilding, and social development, which remain central to the Church’s mission in the region.
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