This is how the new ambassador of Colombia to the Holy See, Julio Aníbal Riaño, presented himself to the pope.
'I have the honor to deliver to Your Holiness the letters that accredit me as extraordinary plenipotentiary ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to the Holy See and to his Holiness, as well as those of my predecessor's retirement.'
“Thank you. I wish you the best and for you to know that my door is always open.”
The ambassador succeeds Guillermo León Escobar, who died from an illness in December while he was the ambassador to the Holy See. The pope remembered him:
“A reminder of your predecessor. He came here often...”
Julio Aníbal Riaño, 69, introduced his family and the embassy staff to the pope. Before working for the foreign ministry, he was an university professor. Most recently he was Colombia's ambassador to El Salvador.
