February 18, 2026
On February 11, 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo as Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti, bringing to an end nearly two years of vacancy in this strategic post. The Nigerian prelate, who had until now served as the Holy See’s representative in the Czech Republic, is called to represent the Pope on “the most populous island in the Caribbean.”
At 69 years old, Archbishop Okolo succeeds Venezuelan Archbishop Francisco Escalante Molina, who was transferred to Japan in January 2024. Titular Archbishop of Novica, he is described as a seasoned diplomat with a strong ecclesiastical and academic background.
Ordained a priest in 1983 and holding a degree in canon law, Jude Thaddeus Okolo entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1990. He has served in several pontifical missions before being appointed nuncio to the Central African Republic and Chad, and later to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico—experience that makes him “a keen expert on the Caribbean region.”
A polyglot fluent in French, English, Italian, and Spanish, Archbishop Okolo arrives in a predominantly Catholic country marked by a profound crisis. In a statement, the Apostolic Nunciature entrusted this new mission to “the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patroness of the island.”
This appointment comes at a time when the Holy See is closely monitoring the situation in Haiti, which Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly described as “desperate.” The Supreme Pontiff has called on the international community for concrete support to create “the social and institutional conditions that would allow Haitians to live in peace.”
