On a rainy Sunday a week after being named a Cardinal, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, found himself at a Queens parish celebrating Mass for the feast day of its namesake, as if nothing had changed.
Cardinal-designate Pierre celebrated Mass and participated in a procession at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, on what was the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Sunday, July 16,. The presence of the pope’s U.S. representative at the Mass was certainly unique, but something he said is important to his ministry.
Cardinal-designate Pierre, 77, is from Rennes, France. He has been apostolic nuncio to the United States since 2016. Prior to that, he was a nuncio in Uganda, Haiti, and Mexico. In his role he has many times delivered the news to priests of their bishop appointments, but didn’t expect to get the call himself.