▁region ▁and ▁began ▁to ▁learn ▁Arab ic , ▁French ▁and ▁English ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁better ▁serve ▁his ▁parish ion ers . ▁When ▁he ▁first ▁arrived ▁in ▁the ▁area , ▁he ▁was ▁taken ▁for ▁a ▁walk ▁by ▁Fr . ▁A ca cio ▁Val bu ena ▁Rodríguez ▁and ▁told ▁" th ese ▁are ▁your ▁parish ion ers , ▁all ▁Muslim s . ▁Being ▁with ▁them ▁is ▁what ▁you ▁have ▁to ▁do ". ▁On ▁ 2 4 ▁June ▁ 2 0 1 3 , ▁he ▁was ▁appointed ▁by ▁Pope ▁Francis ▁as ▁Apost ol ic ▁pre fect ▁of ▁Western ▁Sah ara , ▁pre fect ure ▁of ▁which ▁he ▁had ▁been ▁the ▁administrator ▁since ▁the ▁res ignation ▁of ▁Rodríguez ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 9 . ▁He ▁took ▁possession ▁of ▁the ▁position ▁on ▁ 2 9 ▁September , ▁at ▁a ▁celebr ation ▁at ▁St . ▁Francis ▁of ▁Ass isi ▁C athedral , ▁La ay ou ne . ▁Dor ado ▁is ▁the ▁third ▁Apost ol ic ▁pre fect ▁of ▁the ▁region , ▁following ▁Rodríguez ▁and ▁F éli x ▁Er v iti ▁Barcelona . ▁ ▁Dor ado ▁described ▁Christians ▁in ▁Western ▁Sah ara ▁as ▁being ▁equivalent ▁to ▁foreign ers , ▁since ▁there ▁were ▁around ▁ 6 0 0 ▁in ▁a ▁total ▁population ▁of ▁around ▁ 8 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁in ▁the ▁country . ▁He ▁serves ▁two ▁churches ; ▁the ▁C ather al ▁in ▁La ay ou ne ▁and ▁a ▁church ▁in ▁D akh la , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁a ▁chap el ▁in ▁the ▁port ▁of ▁La ay