Cardinal Christophe Pierre is a French-born Catholic cardinal and career Vatican diplomat who has served as the Apostolic Nuncio (the Holy See’s ambassador) to the United States since 2016. As Apostolic Nuncio, he is the pope’s official representative both to the Catholic Church in the U.S. and to the U.S. government, acting like an ambassador for the Holy See and a liaison with the local bishops.
The Holy See is the central governing authority of the Roman Catholic Church, headed by the pope, and is recognized in international law as a sovereign entity that conducts diplomacy and enters treaties. Vatican City State is the small territorial state (about 44 hectares) created by the 1929 Lateran Treaty to provide the Holy See with a sovereign physical base. In simple terms, the Holy See is the Church’s government and legal personality; Vatican City is the tiny country where that government is based.
When officials talk about “deepening U.S.–Holy See relations,” they usually mean working more closely together on global issues where both sides have interest or influence. According to the State Department, typical areas include: human rights; peace and conflict prevention; poverty reduction and development; environmental protection; inter‑religious understanding; promoting religious freedom; and combating human trafficking, often through coordinated diplomacy, joint statements, and cooperation in international organizations.
Thomas “Tommy” Pigott is the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, a role he has held since March 10, 2025. The Principal Deputy Spokesperson is a senior official in the Office of the Spokesperson who helps lead the department’s public communications—issuing statements and readouts, briefing journalists, and explaining U.S. foreign policy. The Office of the Spokesperson’s stated mission is to communicate U.S. foreign policy objectives to audiences in the United States and abroad and to release daily press materials on behalf of the department.
No. The official readout only says that Secretary Rubio and Cardinal Pierre discussed “shared priorities and opportunities to deepen U.S.-Holy See relations,” and that Rubio thanked the Holy See for its partnership and the Cardinal for his years of service; it does not list any specific issues, decisions, or concrete outcomes from the call.
There is no public indication that this particular call led to any scheduled follow-up meetings or visits. The State Department readout does not mention future engagements, and as of now there are no official announcements tying later U.S.–Holy See meetings directly to this January 15, 2026 conversation.