Pope Francis appoints a new representative to the Philippines

Italian Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, according to a post on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

The Apostolic nuncio or papal nuncio is a permanent diplomatic representative or head of diplomatic mission of the Holy See to a state.

The announcement of Pope Francis' new appointment was made on Tuesday at 12 noon (6pm, Manila time), one day after he arrived in Rome from an apostolic visit to Colombia.

Fifty-nine-year-old Caccia is the nuncio to Lebanon, a position he has held since 2009.

The archbishop replaces Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, who has been transferred to Croatia in July.

Caccia is a native of Milan was born on February 24, 1958, and ordained as a priest on June 11, 1983.

He was elevated to the rank of archbishop in September 2009. — BAP, GMA News