This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Excellency Mr. Bruno van der Pluijm, ambassador of Belgium 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. Bruno van der Pluijm
Ambassador of Belgium to the Holy See

His Excellency Mr. Bruno van der Pluijm was born in 1960, and is married with four children.

He graduated in classical philology from the University of Antwerp (UFSIA) and Leuven University (KUL).

He entered the diplomatic service in 1991 and has served in the Embassy in Lebanon (1994-1997), the Embassy in Costa Rica (1998-2000), at the Permanent Representation at the United Nations in New York (2000-2005), and as advisor for multilateral affairs at the Office of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (2005-2007), head of the Office of the Minister for Development and Cooperation (2007-2010), ambassador in China (2010-2014), ambassador in Tunisia (2014-2016), director general, Cooperation in Development and Humanitarian Aid (2016-2019), interim secretary general of the Department for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (2018-2019), and ambassador to the United Kingdom (2020-2024).