On the afternoon of Friday, March 20, 2026, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America received at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America His Excellency Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, offering his warm congratulations and prayerful best wishes for success in his new mission.
Archbishop Caccia was appointed on March 7, 2026, as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States and will soon assume his duties in the nation’s capital. Prior to this appointment, he served with distinction as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York. His Excellency has enjoyed a long and fruitful ministry as both clergyman and diplomat, having served in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See as well as in diplomatic missions in Tanzania, Lebanon, and the Philippines, and most recently in New York since 2019.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Archbishop Gabriele Caccia as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States on March 7, 2026, succeeding Cardinal Christophe Pierre upon his retirement. (Photo by Orthodox Observer)During the meeting, Archbishop Elpidophoros expressed his deep appreciation for Archbishop Caccia’s exemplary service to the Church, as well as for the spirit of fraternity and ecumenical cooperation that has characterized their relationship. He conveyed his sincere hope for continued collaboration in Archbishop Caccia’s new capacity as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America.
His Eminence also recalled his recent ecumenical pilgrimage, together with His Eminence Cardinal Joseph Tobin, to Rome and Constantinople, during which the pilgrims were received by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. With the same spirit of reconciliation, both hierarchs offered prayers for the continued strengthening of relations between the two Sister Churches, particularly in the United States.
