Charles John Brown (born 13 October 1959) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an apostolic nuncio since 2012. He is currently the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. Before entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See, Brown worked at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). Biography Early life and education Brown was born on October 13, 1959, in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, when it was a mostly Jewish neighborhood. He later said his family "were pretty much the only gentile family in the apartment block" as he grew up as the oldest of six children. When he was five, the family moved to Rye, New York and in 1971 to Windham, New York. His family's roots are in Ireland and Germany." Brown earned a Bachelor of History degree at the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Theology degree at University of Oxford, and a Master of Medieval Studies degree at the University of Toronto. He then entered the seminary and earned a Master of Divinity degree at Saint Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York. Priesthood Brown was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal John O'Connor on May 13, 1989 in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. From 1989 to 1991, he served as was assistant priest at St. Brendan's Parish in The Bronx, New York City. In 1991, Cardinal O'Connor sent Brown to study in Rome. He earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree at the Pontifical University St. Anselmo. In 1994, Brown stayed in Rome to join the CDF staff, where he remained until 2012. Pope John Paul II appointed Brown as a chaplain of his holiness on May 6, 2000. He was named as adjunct secretary of the International Theological Commission in September 2009. . Apostolic nuncio to Ireland Brown was named titular archbishop of Aquileia and apostolic nuncio to Ireland on November 26, 2011. He was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on January 6, 2012. Brown said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone had told him that Pope Benedict had asked for his transfer from the Roman Curia to the diplomatic service of the Holy See, though Brown had not trained at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy like most nuncios. Brown worked closely with Pope Benedict for a decade at the CDF. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin described Brown as "much more