Rome, Italy – December 10, 2025 — His Excellency Akillino Harris Susaia, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federated States of Micronesian (FSM) to the European Union, presented his Letters of Credence to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Saturday, December 6, 2025. Ambassador Susaia was among 14 non-resident ambassadors who presented their credentials to His Holiness.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Susaia conveyed sincere gratitude to His Holiness on behalf of His Excellency President Wesley W. Simina and the people of the FSM. He also sought the Pope’s blessings and prayers for the FSM’s continued success, resilience, and prosperity as a Christian nation and Small Island Developing State (SIDS).

Following the official proceedings, Ambassador Susaia presented a carved wooden turtle to His Holiness, emphasizing its cultural significance in Micronesian society and its symbolic reminder of the severe impacts of climate change on the FSM’s communities.

In his remarks, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV expressed his pleasure in receiving the new ambassadors, noting that the gathering came at the beginning of his pontificate and within the context of the Jubilee Year of Hope inaugurated by his predecessor, Pope Francis. He underscored that true peace begins with rejecting pride and resentment and resisting the “temptation to use words as weapons.”

The FSM established diplomatic relations with the Holy See in January 1994. The Apostolic Nuncio accredited to the FSM is Archbishop Giambattista Balvo, who has represented the Holy See in the FSM and other Pacific Island nations since 2006.

Ambassador Susaia was accompanied by his spouse, Madam Mihpel Olter Susaia, First Secretary Johnny Hadley Jr., and Mrs. Belinda Suzuki Hadley.

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