representative to the United States.Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the appointment “yet another sign” of the great care the Pope has for the U.S. and its Catholic community.
“As the personal representative of our Holy Father, you will serve as a continuing sign to us of that source of renewal and hope that Pope Benedict brought to our country,” said Archbishop Dolan in an Oct. 19 letter welcoming the new nuncio.
Archbishop Viganò will succeed Archbishop Pietro Sambi, who died in July from complications that developed after he underwent lung surgery.
As papal nuncio, he will serve as the Pope’s personal representative to the Church in the United States. He will carry out diplomatic duties and will also play an important role in selecting new bishops in the U.S.
The position of papal nuncio to the United States is viewed as a key diplomatic position for the Vatican.
Born in the northern Italian town of Varese, Archbishop Viganò was ordained a priest in 1968 and entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1973. He has served in diplomatic missions to Iraq, Great Britain and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.
The archbishop has also served as the nuncio to Nigeria, and he has worked for more than a decade in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
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