Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Appointment of the Prefect, Pro-Prefect, and Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development

Appointment of the Secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts

Appointment of the Secretary and Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity

Appointment of Members and Consultors of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches

Resignation of the Apostolic Nuncio to Australia

Appointment of the Apostolic Administrator sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Northampton (England)

Appointment of the Prefect, Pro-Prefect, and Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Reverend Sister Alessandra Smerilli, F.M.A., who was serving until now as Secretary of the same Dicastery, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The Reverend Sister Smerilli will take office on 1 September 2026.

The Holy Father has also appointed His Eminence Cardinal Fabio Baggio, C.S., currently Under-Secretary of the same Dicastery, as Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with special responsibility for the Laudato Si' Higher Education Center. Cardinal Baggio will take office on 1 September 2026.

Furthermore, the Roman Pontiff has appointed Msgr Jozef Barlaš, who is currently serving as Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, as Secretary of the same Dicastery. Monsignor Barlaš will take office on 1 September 2026.

Appointment of the Secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts

The Holy Father has appointed Monsignor Marco Mellino, currently Adjunct Secretary of the same Dicastery, as Secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.

Appointment of the Secretary and Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Msgr Lucio Adrián Ruiz, who is currently serving as Secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, as Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. Monsignor Ruiz will take office on 1 st September 2026.

The Holy Father has also appointed Dr. Massimo Ralli, currently an Official of the same Dicastery, as Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. Dr. Ralli will take office on 1 September 2026.

Appointment of Members and Consultors of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches

The Holy Father has appointed the following as Members of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches the Cardinals: Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda, Archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu (Japan); Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille (France); Frank Leo, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada). The Msgrs: Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of Lagos (Nigeria); Angelo Vincenzo Zani, Archivist and Librarian Emeritus of the Holy Roman Church; Paolo Giulietti, Archbishop of Lucca (Italy); Andrew Nkea Fuanya, Archbishop of Bamenda (Cameroon); Peter Soon-Taick Chung, O.C.D., Archbishop of Seoul (South Korea); Michel Jalakh, O.A.M., Secretary of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches; Paulus Budi Kleden, S.V.D., Archbishop of Ende (Indonesia); Oscar Roberto Domínguez Couttolenc, M.G., Archbishop of Tulancingo (Mexico); Elias Frank, Archbishop of Calcutta (India); Daniel Ernest Flores, Bishop of Brownsville (United States of America); Lisandro Alirio Rivas Durán, I.M.C., Bishop of San Cristóbal de Venezuela; Msgr. Roger Joseph Landry, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States of America; Rev. Father Francesco Rapacioli, Superior General of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME).

The Holy Father has appointed the following as Consultors of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches: Msgr. Davide Carbonaro, O.M.D., Archbishop of Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo (Italy); François Sylla, Archbishop of Conakry (Guinea); Monsignor Remigio Bellizio, Director of the Domus Missionalis in Rome (Italy); the Rev. Father Joseph Koonamparampil, C.M.F., former Official of the former Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and Father Wenceslaus C. Madu, C.M.F., Vice Chancellor of the Claretian University of Nigeria in Nekede.

Resignation of the Apostolic Nuncio to Australia

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation of H.E. Charles Daniel Balvo, Titular Archbishop of Castello, from his office as Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, having reached the last age limit.

Appointment of the Apostolic Administrator sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Northampton (England)

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Charles Phillip Richard Moth, Metropolitan Archbishop of Westminster, as Apostolic Administrator sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Diocese of Northampton (England).

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- His Beatitude Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians;

- A delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople;

- H.E. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop Emeritus of Genoa (Italy);

- His Beatitude Béchara Boutros Raï, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites;

- H.E. Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, C.S.Sp., Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangui (Central African Republic);

- Archbishop James R. Golka, Metropolitan Archbishop of Denver (United States of America);

- H.E. Cardinal Roberto Repole, Metropolitan Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa (Italy).

 

Today, the Pope will also receive in audience:

- The students of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, at the conclusion of their missionary year.

The following is the text of the Letter that the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has sent to the Reverend Fr. Davide Pagliarani, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X:

To The Reverend Davide Pagliarani Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X

With a paternal heart, and aware of the responsibility entrusted to me by the Lord as the Successor of the Apostle Peter, I address you and, through you, the bishops, priests, seminarians and faithful connected to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.

The Church recognizes the devotion to liturgical life, commitment to priestly formation, apostolic zeal and desire for fidelity to Tradition that characterize many people and communities connected to your Fraternity. This has motivated the attentive and generous attitude that my Predecessors have consistently shown to you.

In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back! I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification.

The Church is open to a path of dialogue and understanding that the Holy Spirit can make possible and fruitful.

I pray for you, because to tear the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity. May the Lord enlighten your consciences and awaken your hearts. With a sorrowful yet hopeful heart, I feel it is my duty, through the authority received from Christ, to ask you to desist from your intended act. I entrust these intentions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Good Counsel.

 

From the Vatican, 29 June 2026

Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

 

LEO PP. XIV

This morning, Pope Leo XIV received in audience the members of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the occasion of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

The following is the text of the address of the Holy Father delivered to those present during the meeting:

[  IT , EN ]

Your Eminence, Dear brothers in Christ,

I am very pleased to meet you, following  our celebration yesterday of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul,  the patron saints of this Church in Rome. Your presence amongst us expresses the fraternal closeness of our sister Church in Constantinople and of its shepherd and guide, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch. I am deeply grateful to him and to all the members of the Holy Synod for having sent you to Rome to continue the traditional exchange of visits on the feasts of the patron saints of our respective Churches.

In a particular way, I vividly remember participating last year in the Feast of Saint Andrew, at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George at the Phanar. I recall with joy and gratitude the meetings I had with His All Holiness Bartholomew, during which we were able to deepen our mutual friendship and share our views on numerous issues, above all our common desire to make progress on the path towards full unity amongst all Christians.

In this regard,  the commemoration of the 1700 th  anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea was held on the eve of the Feast of Saint Andrew in İznik , at the invitation of Patriarch Bartholomew and in the presence of representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities. This celebration offered an eloquent testimony to the communion that already exists amongst those who share faith in God, the Father of all, and who believe in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Son of God, and in the Holy Spirit, who inspires us and leads us to the fullness of truth and unity. That commemorative event made clear that the Nicene Creed must be the foundation and guiding principle of this ecumenical journey, offering the model of true unity within legitimate diversity: Unity in the Trinity, Trinity in Unity (cf. Apostolic Letter  In Unitate Fidei , 12). May the journey towards the celebration of the second millennium of the Redemption, in 2033, be undertaken together by all the Christian denominations of the world, rediscovering the gift and the call to be witnesses to the Risen One.

In an age marked by wars and growing polarization, as well as cultural and social divisions, Christians — reconciled amongst themselves and united in their profession of the one faith — are called to be a credible sign of peace, making a decisive contribution to the efforts of all men and women of good will to build peace. Moreover, in the current situation, it is not only the credibility of the Christian message that is at stake, but the very future of humanity. The need for greater cooperation amongst Christians in the face of today’s challenges — which include peace, the proper use of new technologies and care for creation — stems from the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself. Indeed, our responsibility for the life and dignity of every human being, beginning with the youngest and most needy, is the criterion that will determine our present and eternal destiny (cf.  Mt  25:31–46).

Your Eminence, dear brothers, I once again express my heartfelt gratitude for this visit, as well as for your personal commitment and that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to promoting the holy cause of Christian unity. I assure you of my prayers. Through the intercession of the holy Apostles Peter and Andrew, brothers in the flesh and in faith, may God our Father accompany us always with his blessing. Thank you!

Appointment of Members of the Dicastery for Evangelization

The Holy Father has appointed the following as Members of the Dicastery for Evangelization, in the Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World:

-His Excellency Bishop Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops;

-His Excellency Bishop Peter Andrew Comensoli, Metropolitan Archbishop of Melbourne;

-His Excellency Bishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort , Metropolitan Archbishop of Reims.