In his first address to the U.S. bishops, the new papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, stressed the importance of evangelization and urged the bishops not to be disheartened by the clergy sexual abuse scandals that have plagued them in media headlines for the past four years.

Archbishop Sambi's brief remarks June 15, on the first day of the bishops' three-day spring meeting in Los Angeles, displayed flashes of self-deprecating humor, insight and a focus on current issues in the U.S. church rarely seen in similar addresses by the previous two nuncios to the United States.

The Vatican representative to Israel and the Palestinian territories before taking up his U.S. post in February, Archbishop Sambi described the U.S. bishops. as "a people of great experience, great holiness and also great suffering."

He said he was "not used to speaking" to so many bishops -- nearly 250 gathered for the spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops -- but he felt like the donkey who carried Jesus into Jerusalem. "The donkey remained a donkey, but the message was from God," he said.

In all his previous diplomatic posts from the Vatican, he said, he found that what is essential is faith in Jesus and the Gospel message of his resurrection.

"As Christians we have to transform any Way of the Cross, any Calvary, into a moment of resurrection," he said. "This is specific for us as a Christian to make any difficulty a moment of resurrection."

Archbishop Sambi highlighted the global role of the United States and the U.S. church with an anecdote about when he was the Vatican representative to Indonesia several years ago.

One Christmas, he said, he decided to celebrate the feast with a visit to a small, remote, primitive village where "I could not drink the water" because he was not immune to local bacteria or viruses. Then a smoker, he also forgot to bring enough cigarettes with him.

When he arrived in the remote village, he said, in its street shops "I found Coca-Cola and Marlboros."

"I think the United States and the church of the United States has something more to bring to the world than Marlboros and Coca-Cola," he said.

Commenting on the papal nuncio's remarks, San Fernando Region Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson said his "wonderful presence" was inspiring. "I think everybody appreciated his approach --- the way he was so positive about the church. He's been in so many countries and he's come to the United States and sensed the vitality of the church. We do need to build on that and we need to keep the mission of the church stressed today [concerning] the proclamation of the Gospel and the good news."

Santa Barbara Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry characterized the nuncio's remarks as "refreshing and delightful, humorous and human --- maybe a little different than what we're accustomed to."

Besides being impressed with the papal nuncio's command of the English language, Bishop Michael Driscoll of Boise, Idaho, appreciated Archbishop Sambi's astute observations. "He seemed to really be in touch with issues and the problems that our country faces. I think he's going to be a great nuncio for us," said Bishop Driscoll.

Paula Doyle contributed to this article.