Charles John Brown

His Excellency Charles John Brown
Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Titular Archbishop of Aquileia
Charles John Brown in 2020
Appointed	28 September 2020
Predecessor	Gabriele Giordano Caccia
Orders
Ordination	13 May 1989 by John O'Connor (cardinal)
Consecration	6 January 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI
Personal details
Birth name	Charles John Brown
Born	(1959-10-13) 13 October 1959 (age 61) New York City, United States
Nationality	American
Previous post(s)	Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland (2011–2017) Apostolic Nuncio to Albania (2017–2020)
Alma mater	Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm

Styles of Charles John Brown
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

Charles John Brown KC*HS (born 13 October 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been an apostolic nuncio since 2012, currently Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. Before entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See he worked at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Early life and education[]

Brown was born on 13 October 1959 in the East Village, Manhattan, in New York City, when it was a Jewish neighborhood. He later said his family "were pretty much the only Gentile family in the apartment block" as he grew up. He is the oldest of six children. When he was five, the family moved to Rye, a suburb north of New York City. In 1971, when he was 11, they moved again to Windham, New York, in the Catskill Mountains.^[1] His family's roots are in Ireland and Germany. The "Brown" surname is an anglicisation of the German "Braun."^[2]

Brown earned a BA in History) at the University of Notre Dame,^[3] an MA in Theology at the University of Oxford, and an MA in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. He then entered the seminary and earned an M. Div. at Saint Joseph's Seminary, Yonkers (USA) and an STD at Pontifical University St. Anselmo in Rome.

Priesthood[]

He was ordained a priest for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor on 13 May 1989^[4] in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. From 1989 to 1991 he was assistant priest at St. Brendan's Parish in the Bronx, New York City. In 1991, Cardinal O'Connor sent Brown to Rome with an eye to Brown earning a doctorate in sacramental theology and returning to teach at Dunwoodie Seminary. Instead in 1994 he released Brown to join the staff of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF),^[1] where he remained until 2012.

Brown became a Chaplain of His Holiness on 6 May 2000. He was appointed Adjunct Secretary of the International Theological Commission in September 2009.^{[citation needed]} During much of his tenure at the CDF that Congregation handled cases of clergy charged with the sexual abuse of children.^{[3][5][6][7][8]}

Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland[]

Brown was named Titular Archbishop of Aquileia and Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland on 26 November 2011 and was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on 6 January 2012.^[9][10] He said Cardinal Bertone had told him that Pope Benedict had asked for his transfer from the Roman Curia to the diplomatic service of the Holy See,^[1] though he had not trained at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy as most nuncios do. Brown had worked closely with Pope Benedict for a decade at the CDF.^[2] Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin described Brown as "much more focused on theology than relations between church and state". Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York said he was "young, vibrant, very theologically savvy but pastorally sensitive".^[11]

In January 2014, he praised the Irish government's decision to re-open the Irish Embassy to the Holy See, though officials said it was expected to operate on "a smaller scale", perhaps as "a one-man operation".^[12]

"Green shoots"[]

Archbishop Brown described the rebirth as the spring after 20 years of winter, saying he saw "green shoots." "You see a renewed enthusiasm among young Catholics in Ireland now," said Archbishop Brown, who was appointed as papal ambassador in November 2011, at the cusp of the Church's troubles stemming from a long-standing period of unreported clergy sexual abuse. The new generation of Catholics, some of whom are studying for the priesthood at St. Patrick's College, the national seminary in Maynooth, or the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, will "lead the Church forward into the next decade," he said. Young Catholics represent what is best in the tradition of Vatican II, "the idea of communicating the ancient unchanging faith in a new, vibrant and attractive way," he said.^[13]

However writing in The Tablet, Fr Sean McDonagh wrote: "Figures on the bishops' own website show the age profile of Irish priests. Over 65 per cent of Irish priests are aged 55 or over. There are only two priests under the age of 40 in the Archdiocese of Dublin. A priest in Killala diocese, Fr Brendan Hoban, pointed out that there has been a priest and celebration of the Eucharist in his parish –Moygownagh – since the eighth century. But he believes he will be that last priest in that parish. At the moment there is a priest in every parish in Killala. Within 20 years there will be seven serving 22 parishes spread out over a wide area. The situation is much same in other dioceses. The research points out that to maintain the status quo would mean ordaining 82 priests each year. The reality is that 20 students entered Maynooth in September 2013. It is likely that only 10 or 12 will be ordained in 2020".^[14]

Caricature[]

In August 2015, echoing Pope Francis, Brown warned that the Church's emphasis on a handful of social issues like abortion, gay marriage and contraception allowed for a view of the Church that was nothing more than "a caricature", ignoring its spirituality and history, its vision of eternal life. He also praised the Irish bishops for doing "an excellent job" in making their case in opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriage in advance of the May 2015 referendum in which their position lost.^[15]

Later appointments[]

On 9 March 2017, Pope Francis appointed Brown Apostolic Nuncio to Albania.^[16]

On 28 September 2020, Pope Francis appointed Brown Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.^[17]

See also[]

• American Catholic bishops serving outside the United States

References[]

External links[]

• "Archbishop Charles John Brown". Catholic Hierarchy. ^{[self-published]}