Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia el-Kassis, apostolic nuncio to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as the Holy See’s new permanent observer to the United Nations in New York. Source: OSV News.
The Lebanese-born archbishop, who is also apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula, succeeds Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, who is now the papal nuncio to the United States. Archbishop Caccia had been UN nuncio from 2019 until he was named to his new post by the pope on March 7.
The appointment of Archbishop el-Kassis was announced on Saturday by the Holy See Press Office.
Archbishop el-Kassis was appointed nuncio to the United Arab Emirates on January 3, 2023, and was named apostolic nuncio to Yemen and apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula on July 22, 2024.
Prior to those assignments, he had been the nuncio to Pakistan since November 24, 2018.
Born in Beirut on August 24, 1968. He was ordained a priest on May 21, 1994, and incardinated in the Maronite Archeparchy of Beirut. He has doctorates in civil law and canon law.
Then-Father el-Kassis entered the Vatican’s diplomatic service on June 19, 2000, serving in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Indonesia, Sudan and Turkey, and in the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State in Rome.
He was ordained an archbishop in Rome on January 19, 2019, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, as the principal consecrator.
The Holy See became a permanent observer state at the United Nations on April 6, 1964, and this status enables it to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly and other UN bodies.
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Apostolic nuncio to UAE and Yemen named Holy See’s new permanent observer to UN (Vatican News via OSV News)
