Bishop Fermín Emilio Sosa Rodríguez who was the Apostolic Nuncio in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, now appointed by the Pope as the Apostolic Nuncio in Bolivia.
In Bolivia, he will succeed Bishop Angelo Accattino, destined in January 2023 to continue his ministry as Apostolic Nuncio in Tanzania.
Mons. Sosa Rodríguez is a native of Izamal (Mexico). He was born on 12 April 1968, was ordained a priest on 12 July 1998 and has a doctor in Canon Law.
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on January 1, 2003. He served as papal delegate in Papua New Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, the United States of America, Canada and Serbia.
On 31 March 2021, he was named Titular Archbishop of Viruno and Apostolic Nuncio in Papua New Guinea, and in June of that year he received episcopal consecration.
On 16 December 2021, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Solomon Islands.
Mons. Fermín Emilio Sosa Rodríguez will find in the highland country an ecclesial context marked by the pedophile scandal that came to light at the end of April 2023 , and that involves several religious of the Company of Jesus.
After learning of the abuses committed by the now deceased Jesuit, Alfonso Pedrajas , lawsuits arose against other priests. The Order decided to remove some religious from their positions to be investigated for alleged cover-up.
Given this, the Bolivian Episcopal Conference launched a series of measures, including the creation of prevention and training commissions, listening, investigation and communication of complaints received against clerics.