Pope Leo XIV names Archbishop Caccia papal ambassador to United States

ROME (OSV News) -- Pope Leo XIV has named Archbishop Gabriele Caccia as the Vatican's ambassador to the United States, selecting a seasoned diplomat to serve as a crucial liaison between Rome and the pope's home country.

The Vatican announced the appointment of the new apostolic nuncio March 7, naming Archbishop Caccia, 68, to succeed Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who turned 80 in January and had served in the post since 2016.

A nuncio is a Vatican diplomatic representative with the rank of ambassador. He acts as both the Holy See's ambassador to the government and its representative to the Catholic Church in the host country, maintaining ties between local bishops and Rome.

Archbishop Caccia, a native of Milan, already has significant experience in the United States, having served as the permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York since 2020.

As papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Caccia will play a key role in the selection process for U.S. bishop appointments and will serve as a point of contact between the bishops and clergy in the United States and the pope, in addition to carrying out the diplomatic tasks of a foreign ambassador serving in the United States.

Like his predecessor, Archbishop Caccia will serve as the pope's key contact with President Donald Trump's administration at a time when the administration's immigration policies have been increasingly met by resistance by the U.S. bishops.

Archbishop Caccia in a March 7 statement said he was "honored and deeply humbled by the decision of the Holy Father to appoint me as Apostolic Nuncio to the Country and the Church where he himself was born and raised."

"I receive this mission with both joy and a sense of trepidation, conscious of the great trust placed in me and of my own limitations, yet confident in His Holiness's prayerful support and guidance," the archbishop said.

During his years of service at the United Nations in New York, Archbishop Caccia said, he has experienced "warmth and openness" from the local Church, the government and the people of the United States. "I trust that their generosity and collaboration will assist me in carrying out this new mission at the service of communion and peace."

Archbishop Caccia invoked "the blessings of Almighty God" on all, "especially in this year that marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States of America."

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, welcomed the appointment on behalf of his brother bishops.

"I wish to extend our warmest welcome and our prayerful support to him as he carries out his responsibilities across the United States, and we look forward to working with him," the archbishop said in a statement.

Archbishop Coakley also expressed his "sincere and prayerful appreciation" to Cardinal Pierre, noting his "many opportunities to work with Cardinal Pierre over the years, particularly over the last four months through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops," since the Oklahoma prelate's election in November as USCCB president.

"Thank you, Your Eminence, for your tireless service to the Church in the United States, and on behalf of my brother bishops, I offer our heartfelt prayers and best wishes in your retirement," Archbishop Coakley said.

Archbishop Caccia is a career Vatican diplomat trained at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology and a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

His previous diplomatic posts include serving as apostolic nuncio to the Philippines and Lebanon, and earlier as an attaché in Tanzania. He also worked as assessor for general affairs in the Secretariat of State under St. John Paul II in Rome.

Cardinal Pierre, who spent nearly five decades in Vatican diplomatic service, earned widespread respect among U.S. bishops for identifying episcopal candidates who embodied Pope Francis' priorities while avoiding polarization. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2023 and is expected to divide his retirement between his native France and Rome.

The United States and the Holy See have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1984, when President Ronald Reagan and St. John Paul II established full ties. However, the relationship dates back to the U.S. founding, when Benjamin Franklin conveyed a message from George Washington to Pope Pius VI in 1788, affirming that the new republic's commitment to religious liberty meant no government role in appointing bishops.

The U.S. maintained consular relations with the Papal States from 1797 and diplomatic relations from 1848 to 1867, though not at the ambassadorial level. Congress banned funding for Vatican relations in 1867, a move partly driven by anti-Catholic sentiment. For more than a century afterward, contact relied on personal envoys, including during World War II, until Reagan and John Paul II restored formal ties.

The current Rome-based U.S. ambassador to the Holy See is Ambassador Brian Burch, who presented his credentials to Pope Leo XIV in September.