VATICAN NEWS — Pope Leo appointed Archbishop Gabriele Caccia as apostolic nuncio to the United States March 7. Since 2019, he had been serving as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York.
He succeeds Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who had turned 80 Jan. 30; the pope accepted his resignation upon reaching the age limit.
Archbishop Caccia said he was “honored and deeply humbled by the decision of the Holy Father” to appoint him as nuncio “to the Country and the Church” where the Pope was born and raised.
“I receive this mission with both joy and a sense of trepidation,” he underlined, while highlighting that this is a “mission at the service of communion and peace” and that it begins in the year in which the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding.
Archbishop Caccia also said he feels “encouraged by the warmth and openness” he has received from the local church, the people and the institutions of the U.S., which he has come to know during his years of service at the United Nations in New York.
Archbishop Caccia was born in Milan, Italy, Feb. 24, 1958. Ordained a priest in 1983 by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, he served at the parish of San Giovanni Bosco in Milan until 1986. He was then sent to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome. He then obtained a doctorate in theology and a licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University.
He joined the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See in 1991 and was assigned to the Papal Representation in Tanzania. In 1993, he was called to serve in the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, in the Secretariat of the Substitute. In 2002, he was appointed Assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.
In July 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon and Archbishop-Titular Bishop of Sepino. He received the episcopal ordination from the pope Sept. 12 of that year.
In 2017, Pope Francis nominated him Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines and then in 2019 as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.
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BISHOP BURBIDGE STATEMENT
In union with my brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the Diocese of Arlington, I congratulate Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia on his appointment as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America by Pope Leo XIV.
Archbishop Caccia has served the Church admirably throughout his priesthood, particularly in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See including his role as Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon and the Philippines. Most recently, Archbishop Caccia has served as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.
I also express my gratitude to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who has served the Church in the United States as Apostolic Nuncio for ten years in many fruitful and sacrificial ways. Cardinal Pierre has been a tremendous gift to the Church and advisor to our Holy Father, and his tenure has been marked by a zeal for bringing Christ to the peripheries of society and culture.
Together with Archbishop Paul Coakley, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and all my brother bishops, I assure Archbishop Caccia of my prayerful support and that of the faithful of the diocese, and I pray that God blesses him as he assumes his responsibilities as Apostolic Nuncio, serving Our Lord, the Church, and the Holy Father with continued devotion to the Gospel.
