On 2 May 1980, he made his perpetual vows as a member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and was ordained as a priest on 20 September 1982. Formerly a missionary in Egypt and Sudan, he has a doctorate in the Study of Islam. In combination with his role as the rector of the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, on 30 June 2012, he was appointed Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.[1]