PH bishops praise outgoing Papal Nuncio

Filipino bishops bid a warm goodbye to outgoing Papal Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Caccia a few days before he leaves Manila for another mission. “He echoes very well the message of mercy and compassion of Pope Francis, the kind of open-mindedness that the Holy Father represents,” said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Caloocan in a post on CBCPNews, the official news service of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). The CBCP hosted a farewell dinner for Caccia at the Manila archdiocese’s office in Intramuros on Wednesday. David, the CBCP vice president, also noted Caccia’s humility and his being accessible to the bishops and the faithful. Pope Francis on Nov. 16 appointed Caccia as the next permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York. “I know it will be quite a big challenge to be an observer of the UN but with God’s grace, he will always be able to do it,” Bishop Prudencio Andaya of Tabuk said.—TINA G. SANTOS