Pope Francis appoints Peter Baldacchino as new bishop of Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces

Pope Francis has appointed the third bishop in the history of the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces: Peter Baldacchino, formerly the auxillary bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Miami.

“I come here to serve. I am looking forward to what the Lord has in store for Las Cruces and I look forward to the green chili of Hatch,” said Baldacchino, who said he is looking forward to spicy food.

The new bishop will be installed during a ceremony on July 23, 2019 at the Immucalate Heart of Mary Cathedral.

WATCH BISHOP BALDACCHINO’S NEWS CONFERENCE BELOW:

Baldacchio, born in Malta, was first ordained as a priest in 1996 in Newark, New Jersey. He also served as a missionary overseas prior to his tenure in Miami. “The holy father has sent us a true missionary,” the Las Cruces Catholic Diocese said.

“God acts via our holy father and I have the hope the holy spirit will help us overcome the barriers created by men: borders, language and culture,” said Baldacchino, who said he relates to the immigrant community because he is an immigrant himself.

While Baldacchino has experience with migration issues in Southern Florida, the bishop said he is still learning about the situation along the southwestern U.S. border. “We need to be charitable. People are not the problem. The United States Conference of Bishops has been asking a long time: there is a need for a serious reconstruction of the immigration process. People are hurting,” he said.

During the news conference, Baldacchino made it cleaer he has no agenda: “I come here to serve … If anything, the only thing I am about is to announce that Jesus Christ is risen, not as an event of the past, but he affects our lives day to day.”

When asked how he would handle the safety of minors in the wake of the sexual abuse scandals plaguing the church, Baldacchino said, “The past is past. We cannot do much about the past. What we can do is pray and suffer with those who have suffered. What we can do is make sure these things do not repeat themselves.”