Alfred Xuereb

Alfred Xuereb (born 14 October 1958) is a Maltese prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He previously worked in the Roman Curia and was a private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI from 2007 to 2013 and to Pope Francis from 2013 to 2014.

Biography Alfred Xuereb was born in Victoria (known also as Rabat) on the Maltese island of Gozo on 14 October 1958. He studied philosophy and Roman Catholic theology in Malta and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Gozo on 26 May 1984.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Xuereb his second private secretary, succeeding Mieczysław Mokrzycki as his second private secretary. He accompanied the Pope on his trips. After the election of Pope Francis in 2013, Xuereb became his first private secretary.

On 28 November 2013, Pope Francis appointed him a delegate for the Pontifical Commission investigating the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) and for the Pontifical Commission on the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See. He was tasked with keeping the Pope informed of their procedures and initiatives. Continuing to place Xuereb in positions crucial to financial reform, on 3 March 2014, Pope Francis appointed him the first Secretary General of the Secretariat for the Economy, a new department of the Roman Curia.

Diplomatic career On 26 February 2018, Pope Francis appointed Xuereb titular archbishop of Amantea and apostolic nuncio for both South Korea and Mongolia. Xuereb was consecrated bishop on 19 March 2018 in St. Peter's Basilica by Pope Francis. He chose as his episcopal motto Ut Unum Sint, "that all may be one".

Speaking of the 2018 Trump-Kim summit, Xuereb said that the Korean people and the local Church had been anxiously awaiting “these truly historic events”. He described the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as “marking an important page at the beginning of a long and arduous road”.

On 8 December 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Morocco.

Personal life During a meeting with trainee clergy and novices in July 2013, Pope Francis referred with admiration to the fact that Xuereb uses a bicycle for transportation.

Honours Gwanghwa Medal (First Class) of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit