On a 2014 visit to the intergovernmental organization, Pope Francis appealed for the humane treatment of migrants.
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Romanian diplomat Monsignor Paul Butnaru as the new permanent observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe.
The Vatican announced Butnaru’s appointment on Sept. 24. The Council of Europe, distinct from the European Union, is Europe’s leading human rights organization. Founded in 1949 after World War II, the Council of Europe upholds democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across continental Europe. Its headquarters is in Strasbourg, France.
The Holy See is not a full member of the council, which is limited to democratic states. Diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the council have existed since 1970, and Pope Francis visited the council in Strasbourg in 2014, where he called for a more humane response to migrants.
Francis’ plea to Europe to stop migrant deaths
Criticizing the number of deaths resulting from the mass drownings of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Southern Europe, Francis warned the council in his address not to betray their mission by ignoring the suffering of these migrants.
“We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery! The boats landing daily on the shores of Europe are filled with men and women who need acceptance and assistance,” Francis said.
Pope Leo XIV echoed similar concerns during his apostolic journey to Spain in June 2026, calling for an “examination of conscience” regarding migrant deaths during his visit to the port in the Canary Islands.
Butnaru’s diplomatic service
Butnaru was born in Piatra Neamț, Romania, on Nov. 13, 1978. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Iași on June 29, 2004.
He entered the Vatican’s diplomatic service on July 1, 2012. Since then, he has served at the apostolic nunciatures in Ethiopia, Venezuela, and Bulgaria; at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, in the section for relations with states and international organizations; and at the apostolic nunciature in Canada.
Butnaru is the second permanent observer to the Council of Europe who is not a bishop, following his predecessor, Monsignor Marco Ganci.
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