This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the ambassadors of Ethiopia, Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi, Qatar and Mauritania to the Holy See, on the occasion of the presentation of their credential letters.
The following is the address delivered by the Pope to the new ambassadors, and a brief biography of each one:
Address of the Holy Father
Your Excellencies,
I am pleased to welcome you for the presentation of the Letters by which you are accredited as Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of your countries to the Holy See: Ethiopia, Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi, Qatar and Mauritania. I would ask you kindly to convey to your respective Heads of State my greetings and sentiments of esteem, together with the assurance of my prayers for them and for your fellow citizens.
As you take up your new responsibilities, I would like to reflect briefly on three words that can guide your service: family, hope and peace.
First, family. The nations you represent have their own unique histories, cultures, traditions and identities. At the same time, they are part of the one human family. Indeed, the image of family, applied to the international community, is a fitting one, for “families are the first place where the values of love and fraternity, togetherness and sharing, concern and care for others are lived out and handed on” (Fratelli Tutti, 114). The noble work of diplomacy, on both the bilateral and multilateral levels, aims to promote and enhance such values, for they are indispensable to each person’s authentic and integral human development, as well as to the progress of all peoples. In this perspective, I encourage your efforts and those of your governments to foster the common good, protect the fundamental rights and dignity of all and strive to build a culture of fraternal solidarity and cooperation.
Sadly, the fabric of the family of nations is today torn by the tragedy of civil, regional and international strife. We have only to think of what is taking place in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza and Haiti, to name but a few examples. At the same time, we are witnessing multiple humanitarian crises that result from such conflicts, including a lack of access to adequate shelter, food, water and medical supplies. Then, too, we must be attentive to the problems of forced migration and the increasing number of internally displaced persons, the scourge of human trafficking, the effects of climate change, especially upon the poorest and most vulnerable, and global economic imbalances that contribute to a loss of hope, especially among young people. As well, the decline in the birthrate, experienced by many countries, is a cause for grave concern. In view of such challenges, it is essential to undertake a far-sighted, constructive and creative dialogue, based on honesty and openness, in order to find shared solutions and strengthen the bonds that unite us as brothers and sisters within the global family. In this regard, we must also bear in mind our obligations to future generations, asking ourselves what kind of world we want to leave to our children and those who will come after them.
The answer to that question involves the second word, hope. Hope is the central message of the forthcoming Jubilee Year that the Catholic Church will celebrate beginning on 24 December next (cf. Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, 9 May 2024). In the face of uncertainty about the future, it is easy to become discouraged, pessimistic and even cynical. Yet hope leads us to recognize the goodness present in our world and provides the strength needed to meet the challenges of our day. For this reason, I like to think of you, dear Ambassadors, as signs of hope, because you are women and men who seek to build bridges between peoples, not walls. The lofty responsibilities you exercise are a reminder that common ground, mutual understanding and concrete expressions of social friendship are all possible. In this regard, I trust that your mission will contribute not only to the consolidation of the good relations existing between your nations and the Holy See, but also to the building of a more just and more humane society in which all are welcomed and given the necessary opportunities to advance together along the path of fraternity and peaceful coexistence.
Indeed, peace – the third word I would offer you – is “the fruit of relationships that recognize and welcome others in their inalienable dignity” (Message for the 57th World Day of Peace, 1 January 2024). Only when we set aside indifference and fear can a genuine climate of mutual respect that leads to lasting concord grow and flourish. Your presence here is an eloquent sign of the resolution of the nations you represent and of the international community as a whole to address the situations of injustice, discrimination, poverty and inequality that afflict our world and hamper the peaceful aspirations of present and future generations. It is my hope that in exercising your role as diplomats you will always strive to be peacemakers, those who are blessed by the Almighty (cf. Mt 5:9).
Dear Ambassadors, as you begin your mission to the Holy See, I offer you my prayerful good wishes and I assure you of the constant readiness of the Secretariat of State and the other Dicasteries and Offices of the Roman Curia to assist you in the fulfillment of your duties. Upon you and your families, your co-workers and all your fellow citizens, I cordially invoke an abundance of divine blessings. Thank you!
Curriculum vitae of the new ambassadors
Her Excellency Ms. Mahlet Hailu Guadey
Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Holy See
Her Excellency Ms. Mahlet Hailu Guadey was born on 23 November 1976.
She graduated in political sciences and international relations from the University of Addis Ababa, and obtained a master’s degree in international relations from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris.
Since entering the diplomatic service, she has held the following offices: attaché at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998-2002), third and then second secretary of the Department for Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2002-2004), deputy consul in Los Angeles, California, United States of America (2004-2007), first secretary of the Embassy in France (2007-2009), chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of France (2009-2010), director of the Department for Peace and Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010-2011), head of protocol at the Office of the Prime Minister (2011-2016), deputy permanent representative, with rank of Ambassador, at the United Nations in New York (2016-2018), head of the areas of the Americas, Asia, Europe and multilateral affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2019-2020), and deputy permanent representative, with rank of Ambassador, at the United Nations in Geneva (2021-2022). She is currently ambassador and permanent delegate to UNESCO in Paris (since 2023).
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Her Excellency Ms. Macenje Mazoka
Ambassador of Zambia to the Holy See
Her Excellency Ms. Macenje Mazoka is married with two daughters.
She graduated in journalism (Broadcast Journalism / Developmental Psychology) from Howard University, Washington DC, United States of America, and obtained a master’s degree in media management from the New School University, New York, and a certificate in the Executive Management Development Programme of the University of Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa.
She has held the following offices: presenter for the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), Zambia (1989) manager, Educational Services & Outreach, WHUT-TV Howard University Public Boradcasting, Washington DC (1991 – 1995) Educational and Youth Children’s Outreach director, at Thirteen/WNWT, Public Broadcasting Service (BPS), New York, NY (1995 – 2004), director of National Partnerships & Community Events, at Thirteen/WNWT, Public Broadcasting Service (BPS), New York, NY (2004 – 2006), lecturer in Media Literacy e Media Ethics at The New School University, New York, NY (1998 – 2007) general manager, Business Development, South Africa Broadcasting (SABC), Johannesburg (2010 – 2012), head of Funding and Partnerships, South Africa Broadcasting (SABC), Johannesburg (2006 – 2021), head of Regional Communications/Stakeholder Relations, South Africa Broadcasting (SABC), Johannesburg (2021 – 2023) and High Commissioner in the United Kingdom (since 2023).
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His Excellency Mr. Hassan Iddi Mwamweta
Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to the Holy See
His Excellency Mr. Hassan Iddi Mwamweta was born on 16 July 1978. He is married with four children.
He obtained a licentiate in political sciences and international relations from the University of Dar es Salaam (2004), a master’s degree in development studies (MDS) from the University of Dar es Salaam (2009), and a postgraduate diploma (First Class) in foreign service management from the Mozambican-Tanzanian Centre for Foreign Affairs (2013).
He has held the following offices: administrator officer, Office of the Commissioner of the Rukwa Region (2005), consultant for investigations II at the Commission on Human Rights and Good Governance (2005-2007), consultant for investigations I at the Commission on Human Rights and Responsible Governance (2007-2009), second secretary, Department of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2009-2014), first secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2014-2019), liaison officer, Protocol of former President of the Republic His Excellency Mr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (2015-2019), advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2019-2020), head of the Department of Europe and the Americas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2020-20219, chancellor and advisor, Embassy in Turkey (2021-2023), and ambassador in Germany (since December 2023).
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Her Excellency Ms. Annonciata Sendazirasa
Ambassador of Burundi to the Holy See
Her Excellency Ms. Annonciata Sendazirasa was born on 17 November 1963, and is married with five children.
She was awarded a licentiate in history from the University of Burundi (1991) and a master’s degree in sociology from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium (1993).
She has held the following offices, among others: employee of Caritas Internationalis in Belgium (2000-2008), advisor for political and diplomatic affairs at the Senate in Burundi (2008-2009), Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Security (2009-2015), deputy governor of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi – BRB (2015-2020), director general of the Mutuelle de la Fonction Publique (2020-2022), and advisor for social protection and administrative reform at the UNDP (2002-2023).
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Her Excellency Ms. Asma Naji Hussain Al-Amri
Ambassador of Qatar to the Holy See
Her Excellency Ms. Asma Naji Hussain Al-Amri graduated in English from the University of Qatar (1997).
She has held the following offices: employee of the Department of Research and Information Analysis, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998-2002), the Department of European and American Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2002-2012), and the Department for American Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2012-2014), assistant director for American Affairs (2014-2020), chief operations officer at the Mission in the United States of America (2021-2023), and ambassador in Croatia (since 2024).
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His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Tahya Teiss
Ambassador of Mauritania to the Holy See
His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Tahya Teiss was born on 12 December 1963, and is married with children. He obtained a Diplôme d’Etudes Universitaires Générales in law (1986) and a Maîtrise in public law (1988) from the University of Nouakchott. He obtained a DEA in public law and political sciences, “Political Studies” option, from the University of Nancy II and a doctorate in political sciences from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
He has held the following offices: titular professor of public law, Faculty of Legal and Economic Sciences, University of Nouakchott (1996-2011), legal advisor to the Commissariat for Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation and Inclusion, Nouakchott (1998 - 2007), ambassador, director of Legal and Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2007 - 2011), chargé d'affaires, Embassy in France, in Portugal and Monaco (2011 - 2012), head of mission, chargé d'affaires in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and in Ireland (2012 - 2018), permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization, London (2016 - 2018), ambassador to Niger, Chad, Benin and Togo (2018 - 2021), ambassador to Senegal, the Republic of Guinea, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau (2021 - 2023), and ambassador to France (since 2023).
