Pope names veteran Vatican diplomat as new ambassador to the U.S. to manage relations with Trump

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday named a former Vatican diplomat as the new ambassador to the United States to manage one of the Holy See’s most important bilateral relationships, strained by the Trump administration’s war in Iran and immigration crackdown.

Italian Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, 68, is currently the Holy See’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He replaces French-born Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who, at age 80, is retiring as apostolic nuncio to Washington.

Caccia served as the Holy See’s ambassador to Lebanon and the Philippines before being assigned to the UN in 2019. Ordained a priest in Milan in 1983, Caccia later served as an “evaluator” in the Vatican Secretariat of State, a key administrative position in the Holy See’s most important office.

He inherits a complex file with serious consequences, both in terms of the American Church and that of the State.

Peter’s tenure as ambassador has been marked by clear signs of friction between the leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which tends to skew conservative, and the more progressive priorities of Pope Francis’ pontificate.

The relationship with the United States and its Church is crucial for the Holy See, particularly because American Catholics are the most generous donors to the Holy See’s coffers.

Leo, the first American-born pope, is well aware of this dynamic, having been Francis’ point man for bishop appointments for two years before his election in 2025. Leo has emphasized a message of pacification and unity in the Church.

The first Trump administration clashed with Francis especially on migrationand this tension continued during Leo’s pontificate and Trump’s second term. Leo has repeatedly insisted that the Trump administration respect the human dignity of migrants, while recognizing their right to its borders.

Most recently, Leo expressed “deep concern” about the US-Israeli war in Iran and urged both sides to “stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”

In his comments last Sunday, Leo called for a resumption of diplomacy. Weapons, he said, only sow “destruction, pain and death.”

In a major foreign policy speech earlier this year, Leo also made clear that he opposed the United States’ aggressive use of military power, apparently referring to Washington’s incursion into Venezuela and threats to seize Greenland. He denounced how nations were using force to assert dominance over the world and “completely undermine” post-World War II peace and the international legal order.

The Holy See has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality, although Leo has spoken out strongly against diplomatic neutrality. humanitarian assessment of Israel’s military action in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The current president of the American conference, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, welcomed Caccia’s appointment and offered the American hierarchy “the warmest welcome and our prayerful support.”