Thirty-five members of the Hierarchy of Canada, the United States and Panama were present or represented in Notre Dame Cathedral, Quebec, for the consecration last week of 46-year-old Mgr. Paul Bernier as titular Archbishop of Laodicia and Papal Nuncio to Costa Rica and Panama.
Archbishop Bernier — the first Canadian to be named a Nuncio— was formerly Chancellor of the Quebec diocese. He was consecrated by Cardinal McGuigan, Archbishop of Toronto, with Archbishop Roy of Quebec and Archbishop Vachon of Ottawa as assistant Bishops.
Thousands of people lined the streets to watch the procession of the Archbishop-elect.
Mgr. Bernier has already spent four years as Chargé d'Affaires and auditor of the Nunciature of Panama, and will shortly return to the States, where the people are almost all Catholic and the Nuncio is recognised as dean of the diplomatic corps.
Both Panama and Costa Rica have representatives at the Vatican. Catholicism is recognised as the religion of the great majority of the people.