This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Excellency Mr. Franc But, Ambassador of Slovenia to the Holy See, on the occasion of the presentation of his credential letters.

The following is a brief biography of the new ambassador:

His Excellency Mr. Franc But
Ambassador of Slovenia to the Holy See

His Excellency Mr. Franc But was born on 12 October 1962 in Celje, Slovenia.

He is married, with two children.

He holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences (Faculty of Biotechnology) and a master's degree in organization and management (Faculty of Economics) from the University of Ljubljana.

He has held, among others, the following positions: program manager for the Revitalization of Rural Areas, Mercator KGP, Kočevje (1988 - 1992); director, Association of Agricultural Cooperatives in Slovenia (1992 - 1997); State Secretary for European Affairs and Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (1997 - 2000); deputy head of the Negotiating Group for Slovenia's EU Accession Negotiations (1997 - 2000); interim director, Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Agriculture and Rural Development (April - December 2000); Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (2000 - 2004); Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (2004 - 2006); Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2006 - 2010); Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia (2010 - 2014); advisor to the Minister for Economic Cooperation and Economic Diplomacy, Cabinet of the Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2014 - 2015); head of the Department for Bilateral Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2016 - 2017); Ambassador to Germany (2017 - 2022); Ambassador-at-Large for the United Nations Security Council (from August 2022 - September 2023); special envoy of the Republic of Slovenia for the Slovenian candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the period 2024-2025 (September 2022 - July 2023); and special envoy of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs for Africa for the duration of Slovenia's term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (from November 2023).