Pope Benedict has named the Vatican ambassador to Israel, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, as the new Apostolic Nuncio (ambassador) to the United States.
Archbishop Sambi is replacing Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, who retired. Archbishop Montalvo has held the Washington post since 1998.
Archbishop Sambi also will replace his predecessor as the Holy See's permanent observer at the Organization of American States.
While serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Sambi also held the posts of Nuncio to Cyprus and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.