American Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells has been named papal nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia and apostolic delegate to Laos in February.
Archbishop Wells, born on May 12, 1963, has spent most of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has worked in Rome in the administration of the Secretariat of State and has been an archbishop and a nuncio since 2016.
The prelate entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on July 1, 1999, working in the apostolic nunciature in Nigeria and, beginning in 2002, in the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.
He was appointed to head the English-language desk in 2006 and was named assessor on July 16, 2009.
Pope Francis named Archbishop Wells secretary of the five-member Pontifical Commission, responsible for investigating the Institute for the Works of Religion in 2013. He also served as president of the Holy See’s Financial Security Committee.
On February 9, 2016, the prelate was appointed apostolic nuncio to South Africa and Botswana and titular archbishop of Marcianopolis. He was also later named apostolic nuncio to Lesotho and Namibia.
He was consecrated archbishop on March 19, 2016, by Pope Francis. On June 13, 2016, Archbishop Wells was appointed apostolic nuncio to Eswatini.
On February 8, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia and Apostolic Delegate to Laos.
Archbishop Wells completed his studies in philosophy at St. Meinrad Seminary College in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. He completed his studies in theology at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. In 1990, he obtained a Bachelor of Theology degree from the Pontifical Gregorian University
He was ordained a priest on July 12, 1991, for the Diocese of Tulsa. After his ordination, he worked as a curate at Holy Family Cathedral Parish in Tulsa, special secretary to the bishop of Tulsa, and vicar for religious education in the diocese.
He soon returned to Rome, receiving a Licentiate of Theology at the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in 1992. In 1998 and 1999, he received a Licentiate of Canon Law and a Doctor of Canon Law degree from the Gregorian University.
