Vatican envoy hails Kuwait’s voice for peace in emotional farewell to Kuwait
The Times Kuwait Report
- Kuwait rooted in friendship is a beacon of dialogue and moderation, hospitality, tolerance, faith, friendship and peaceful spirit — Archbishop Eugene Nugent
In an emotional farewell that brought together diplomacy, faith and friendship, Archbishop Eugene Martin Nugent, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, marked the conclusion of his distinguished Gulf mission with a reception at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
The gathering, hosted by the Vatican Embassy in Kuwait, brought together Najeeb Abdulrahman Al-Bader, Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs and guest of honor, along with ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions, government officials, Christian church leaders, priests, religious sisters and brothers, members of the business community, friends and members of the Catholic faithful.
The occasion reflected the close and longstanding relations between Kuwait and the Holy See. In a deeply personal farewell address, Archbishop Nugent expressed his profound gratitude to Kuwait’s leadership and people, conveying his respect to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
He praised Kuwait’s steadfast commitment to dialogue, moderation and peaceful coexistence, describing these values as particularly important at a time of profound regional and international uncertainty. Looking back on his years in the Gulf, the Irish-born archbishop recalled a period marked by extraordinary global and regional developments. His tenure encompassed the final stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis’ historic visit to Bahrain, the visit of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to Kuwait in January 2026, and the more recent regional conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
These events, he said, offered stark reminders of how fragile peace can be. Yet alongside the crises, he highlighted the remarkable resilience of the region and the importance of maintaining channels of dialogue and understanding.
For Archbishop Nugent, however, his years in Kuwait were defined less by crises and headlines than by people. He recalled the warmth with which he was welcomed, the doors opened to him, the conversations shared and the friendships developed during his diplomatic and pastoral mission.
Addressing Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and members of the diplomatic corps, he expressed appreciation for their cooperation, friendship and solidarity. He reflected that diplomacy may often appear to revolve around protocol, formal notes and carefully chosen language, but at its best it is about something much more fundamental: building trust between people.
“I came here as a bishop to encourage them in their faith. But very often, they were the ones who encouraged me in mine,” he said, paying tribute to the thousands of Catholic faithful living and working in Kuwait, many far from their home countries and families. He praised their dedication, generosity and quiet contribution to the social fabric of the country.
The Archbishop also thanked Bishop Aldo Berardi, the priests, religious men and women and all those serving the Catholic Church in Kuwait. He recalled religious celebrations, cultural occasions, visits, gatherings and traditional desert kashtas as cherished memories of his time in the country.
He said these occasions often provided opportunities for people of different religions, nationalities and cultures to come together as friends, demonstrating that genuine human connections can transcend differences. The friendships formed during his mission, he suggested, would remain among his most treasured memories.
Quoting Irish poet William Butler Yeats, Archbishop Nugent captured the sentiment of his farewell in the words: “My glory was, I had such friends.” For him, friendship was never defined by geographical distance, but by the bonds of trust and humanity that connect people.
The Archbishop leaves Kuwait with gratitude rather than sadness as he prepares to assume his next diplomatic assignment as Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic in Prague. While acknowledging the emotion of departing, he said he would carry with him memories of Kuwait’s generosity, hospitality, extraordinary diversity and, above all, its people.
The farewell ceremony concluded on a note of prayer and blessing. Archbishop Nugent prayed for His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince, the State and people of Kuwait, the wider Gulf region and a troubled world, asking for the precious gift of peace.
As he takes up his new mission in Europe, Archbishop Nugent leaves behind a message that went beyond formal diplomacy: that dialogue builds understanding, friendship builds trust, and peace remains a shared responsibility. His farewell to Kuwait was therefore not simply the closing of a diplomatic chapter, but a tribute to the human relationships that gave his mission meaning.
