POPE Francis is sending Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, to the United Nations as the permanent observer of the Holy See in New York.
Caccia’s appointment was announced late Saturday.
“I hope to be able to fulfill well the new task Pope Francis has entrusted to me, seeking to bring the light of Catholic social teaching to the discussions and debates of the international community,” Caccia said in a report by CBCP News.
Caccia will succeed Archbishop Bernardito Auza, who was designated as the new Apostolic Nuncio to the Kingdom of Spain and to the Principality of Andorra last October.
Caccia is set to serve as the 7th Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations since the Holy See became a Permanent Observer State at the UN in 1964.
“I look forward to helping the Holy See assist the United Nations in renewing its commitment to the pillars of its Charter, preventing the scourge of war, defending human dignity and rights, promoting integral development, and fostering respect and implementation of international law and treaties,” Caccia said.
Caccia studied at the Vatican’s Diplomatic School, the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, where he earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology, and at the Pontifical Gregorian University for a Licentiate in Canon Law. Pope Benedict XVI ordained Caccia as bishop in 2009.
The prelate has spent nearly 30 years in the Vatican’s diplomatic service working in nunciatures in Tanzania, Lebanon, and the Vatican’s Secretariat of State in Rome.
He has served as the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines since September 2017.
Caccia is set to arrive in New York to assume his new position on January 16, 2020.
There is no word yet on who will succeed Caccia as Papal Nuncio to the Philippines.
