Speaker of the House Mike Johnson welcomed Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, expressing hope that the archbishop’s ministry will strengthen ties between the United States and the Holy See.

In a July 1 letter, Johnson congratulated Archbishop Caccia on his appointment and welcomed him to Washington during the nation’s semiquincentennial year. “It is my great honor to welcome you to Washington, D.C., during this semiquincentennial year as we commemorate 250 years of American independence,” Johnson wrote.

Johnson also reflected on two recent Vatican events, noting that he had sent bipartisan House delegations to attend the April 2025 funeral of Pope Francis and the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. He said his colleagues were “eternally grateful for the opportunity to represent their constituents and their country” at those “historic events,” which many of them found to be moments of “deep spiritual significance during the Jubilee Year.”

The speaker connected the nation’s 250th anniversary with America’s commitment to “the principles of human dignity and religious liberty, enshrined most famously in the Declaration of Independence.” Johnson then pointed to Archbishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, as an example of someone who understood the relationship between Catholic faith and American civic life.

Carroll, a Maryland native, became the first Catholic bishop in the United States in 1789 and later the first archbishop of Baltimore. A cousin of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, Carroll maintained relationships with several of the nation’s Founding Fathers, including President George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. He also advocated for religious liberty as the Catholic Church established itself in the new republic.

“I believe Archbishop Carroll would be proud to know that today, nearly 150 Members of Congress and six of our nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are Catholic,” Johnson wrote, noting that Carroll’s example reflected the “mutually reinforcing relationship between Catholicism and republican self-government” that the speaker believes continues in American public life today.

The House speaker concluded his letter by offering his prayers for Archbishop Caccia’s new ministry. “In a spirit of goodwill, I pray that your service and mission as Apostolic Nuncio will continue to foster a deep friendship between the United States and the Holy See,” he wrote. “Again, please accept my warmest welcome and congratulations.”

Archbishop Caccia was appointed apostolic nuncio to the United States in March, succeeding Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who concluded his service after reaching the Vatican’s retirement age for cardinals. Formerly apostolic nuncio to Lebanon and the Philippines, the Milan-born archbishop also served as the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in New York from 2019 until his appointment.

As Pope Leo XIV’s representative in the United States, Caccia will maintain relations between the Holy See, the U.S. government and the nation’s bishops. In his first address as nuncio to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops during their spring plenary assembly in June, Archbishop Caccia emphasized peace, communion, and mission as central themes for the Church, saying his service would be marked by “listening, trust and shared discernment.”