His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Mgr Charles Azzopardi as Bishop of Gibraltar.

Mgr Azzopardi was, until now, parish priest of St Theresa’s Church and Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe.

He succeeds the Rt Rev. Carmel Zammit whose resignation was accepted by the Holy Father.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference, said:

“I welcome the appointment of Mgr Charles Azzopardi as the next Bishop of Gibraltar in succession to the Rt Rev Carmel Zammit. Mgr Charles’ many years of ministry as a priest in Gibraltar will serve him well as he enters this new calling as Bishop.

“The unique position of Gibraltar is well understood by him, not least through his being Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe. There the statue of Our Blessed Lady stands overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea, a focus of some of the many tensions that are prominent in our world today.

“On this Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, may Our Lady of Europe guide and sustain Mgr Charles in his new ministry and help us all to bring peace and profound mutual understanding in our troubled world.”

Bishop-elect Azzopardi will be the ninth Bishop of Gibraltar. The date of his Episcopal Ordination will be announced in due course.

Biography

Monsignor Charles Azzopardi was born in Gibraltar on 20 April 1962.

He worked at The Gibraltar Motor Hire Service from 1978 to 1986.

From 1986 to 1992, he undertook ecclesiastical formation, first in the UK at New Creation Church in Liverpool; then at the Jesuit-run Milltown Institute in Dublin, Ireland.

He subsequently attended the Collegio Urbano of Propaganda Fide, Rome, Italy.

He was ordained priest for the clergy of the Diocese of Gibraltar on 6 August 1992.

Mgr Azzopardi has held the following pastoral appointments in the Diocese of Gibraltar:

Assistant Priest at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned (1992 to 1998).

Parish Priest of St Theresa’s, Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe, Director of Nazareth House and of the Soup Kitchen (From 1998 to present).

Furthermore, from 1998 to 2010, he served as School Chaplain at St Anne’s and Notre Dame Primary Schools, as well as at Westside and Bayside Comprehensive Schools.

Diocese of Gibraltar

The Diocese was formed on 19 November 1910 when the Vicariate Apostolic of Gibraltar was elevated to become a diocese.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Bishop of Gibraltar is the ordinary of the Diocese and is immediately subject to the Holy See.

Statistics from 2023 show that roughly 80% of the 34,000 people living in Gibraltar are Catholic – approximately 27,000 people.

_{Image: © Office of the Governor Gibraltar. Used with permission.}