U.S. priest to be Vatican's representative to international agencies

Published: 2007-01-22

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has chosen Msgr. Michael W. Banach, a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Mass., to be the Vatican's representative to several international agencies based in Vienna, Austria. Msgr. Banach, 44, has served in the Vatican diplomatic corps since 1994, most recently serving in the Vatican Secretariat of State's section for relations with states. In Vienna, he will serve as the Vatican's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency; the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization; the U.N. Organization for Industrial Development; and the local United Nations office. Born in Worcester Nov. 19, 1962, he was ordained to the priesthood July 7, 1988. After earning his degree in canon law, he entered the Vatican diplomatic corps and served at Vatican embassies in Bolivia and Nigeria before moving to the Secretariat of State.

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