Longtime foreign correspondent and Parliament Hill journalist Joyce Napier has been appointed Canada’s Ambassador to the Holy See.
Napier, 65, replaces diplomat Paul Gibbard, who had held the role since September 2021.
Up until last June when she was caught up in Bell’s layoff of 1,300 staff in the media division, she had most recently been serving as CTV News’ Parliamentary Bureau Chief, capping a 40-year journalism career that began in Montreal in 1981.
Born in Montréal to Egyptian immigrants, Napier was raised in Rome before returning to Canada for undergraduate studies in journalism.
Over the years, she’s held roles with The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, La Presse, CBC Television and Radio-Canada, where she was the Middle East correspondent, based in Jerusalem, as well as Washington Bureau Chief. She is the only person to have ever held the bureau chief role for both an English- and French-language Canadian news network.
Napier also has extensive experience covering the Vatican, including reporting from Rome on the death and subsequent beatification of Pope John Paul II, and the election of Pope Benedict.
Foreign Afffairs says Napier’s breadth of experience “positions her to advocate for critical issues, including reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and confronting the damaging legacy of the residential school system.”
“Joyce Napier is someone I deeply respect – a former journalist who has left her mark on Canada for over 40 years,” said Foreign Affairs Min. Mélanie Joly, in a release. “Canadians can count on Joyce’s experience, stature, and tenacity representing Canada to the Holy See. Critically, Joyce will work at the Vatican to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples including confronting the painful legacy of the residential school system. Her extensive experience here at home and her many years working around the world will serve Canadians well.”
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