Nearly eight months after Pope Leo XIV appointed him apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia visited Baltimore Oct. 25, offering a reminder of the Holy See’s close ties to the nation’s oldest Catholic see.
Celebrating morning Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Vatican diplomat urged Catholics to bear witness to their faith not only through words but through acts of love and service, especially toward those who are vulnerable, lonely or in need.
Reflecting on Baltimore’s unique place in American Catholic history, Archbishop Caccia noted that the city became home to the nation’s first Catholic diocese in 1789, when Pope Pius VI appointed Bishop John Carroll as the new nation’s first bishop. While the basilica stands as a visible monument to that legacy, he said, it is the faithful themselves who are called to keep that history alive.
“You are the living stones,” Archbishop Caccia told the congregation. “The Lord doesn’t need bricks only. He needs witnesses.”
The nuncio’s visit included a stop after Mass in the basilica crypt, where he prayed at the tomb of Archbishop Carroll and laid a wreath. Joining him were Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, Auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker and retired Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden.
In an interview with the Catholic Review, Archbishop Caccia said praying at Archbishop Carroll’s tomb provided “a special connection with the beginning of the presence of the Catholic Church in this country.” He expressed gratitude for the church’s pioneering generation and admiration for the challenges its members overcame through their trust in divine providence and God’s help.
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, he said Catholics have long contributed to the nation’s civic and spiritual life.
“They were able to live their faith, being also able to build this new country, supporting the wisdom and the charity that comes from their long tradition,” he said.
The theme of Christian witness ran throughout Archbishop Caccia’s homily. Drawing from the day’s Gospel, he focused on Jesus’ command to love God and love one’s neighbor, calling it the foundation of the Christian life.
Recalling an Italian priest who dedicated his ministry to people with disabilities, Archbishop Caccia said the priest was once asked how he would summarize Christianity in a single word.
The answer, he said, was simple: “Love.”
“Isn’t it what we heard in the Gospel?” Archbishop Caccia asked. “What is the first commandment? The most important? And Jesus answered with love.”
God created humanity out of love and continues to desire each person’s happiness and fullness of life, he said. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate expression of that love.
To illustrate the relationship between love of God and love of neighbor, Archbishop Caccia compared the two commandments to opposite sides of the same coin.
“The coin of love has always two sides,” he said. “Love, father, but love, your neighbor. And it’s only one, one coin.”
The two cannot be separated, he explained. Authentic faith must find expression in concrete acts of care and concern for others.
Before Mass, Father Brendan Fitzgerald, rector of the basilica, briefed Archbishop Caccia on the basilica’s Source of All Hope ministry, in which young adult missionaries accompany people living on the streets surrounding the downtown church. The nuncio posed for a photo with members of the ministry.
Erin Kelter, one of the Source missionaries, said Archbishop Caccia’s message resonated with the work she and others undertake each day.
“Going out to the streets and bringing that love to others is just really a gift,” she said. “It’s a reminder that it is always a blessing.”
Archbishop Lori noted that the nuncio’s episcopal motto, “Credidimus Caritati” (“We have believed in the love God has for us”), which is drawn from the First Letter of St. John, echoed the central message of his homily.
Bishop Parker said he, too, was struck by the way Archbishop Caccia connected the day’s Gospel to that theme.
“He was able to summarize who and what God is all into one word – as the message of love,” Bishop Parker said. “It’s exactly what we need to hear and we need to live.”
Bishop Parker said Archbishop Lori invited the nuncio to Baltimore as “a gesture of pastoral solicitude.”
Archbishop Caccia entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1991 and later served as apostolic nuncio to Lebanon and the Philippines before being appointed the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations in 2019. Pope Leo named him apostolic nuncio to the United States March 7.
During his interview with the Catholic Review, Archbishop Caccia conveyed Pope Leo’s gratitude for prayers offered during his recovery from recent lung cancer surgery.
“I received also a lot of messages of support to convey to the Holy Father the closeness of all the people here in the States, especially because it’s also his own country,” the nuncio said.
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
Use the arrows below to navigate a photo slideshow by Kevin J. Parks.
