Pope Francis has appointed Mgr Savio Hon Tai-Fai SDB, titular archbishop of Sila and currently Apostolic Nuncio in Greece, as the new Apostolic Nuncio in Malta.

Hon Tai-Fai was born in Hong Kong in 1950 and ordained priest in 1982 for the Salesian Province of China.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of London and a doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome.

He was responsible for the translation of the catechism of the Catholic Church into Chinese.

In 2010 he was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. Before that, he was a professor of theology at the Holy Spirit Seminary of Hong Kong.

In 2012, he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congresses and that same year appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

In 2016, Hon Tai-Fai served as the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese of Agana, Guam and the following year he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Greece, his first position in the diplomatic service.

As the Apostolic Nuncio in Malta, Hon Tai-Fai will represent the Holy Father and the Holy See both with regard to the Catholic Church in Malta and Gozo, as well as to the Civil Authorities.

He will also be the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Republic of Malta.

It is the duty of the Papal Representative to strengthen the bonds of communion between the Apostolic See and the Catholic Church present in the country where he is posted.

For this reason, it is the responsibility of the Apostolic Nuncio to assist the Bishops of Malta and Gozo as they carry out their pastoral role. At the same time, the Nuncio will promote and facilitate the relations between the Government of Malta and the Holy See.