Overview
- Pope León XIV named Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia as the Holy See’s ambassador to the United States, succeeding Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who retires at age 80.
- Caccia, 68, has served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in New York since 2019.
- His diplomatic career includes prior service as nuncio to Lebanon and the Philippines and earlier work in the Vatican Secretariat of State after his 1983 ordination in Milan.
- In a statement, Caccia said he is honored and “at the service of communion and peace,” noting he begins the mission with both joy and some apprehension.
- The appointment comes during a delicate period for U.S.–Vatican relations over immigration policy and a conflict involving Iran, and U.S. bishops’ leader Archbishop Paul S. Coakley welcomed his arrival.