Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Paolo Rudelli as the new Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State—one of the most influential and sensitive roles within the Vatican, often compared to an “Interior Minister” of Vatican City State.
Archbishop Rudelli, who will turn 56 in July, was ordained a priest in 1995 and is incardinated in Bergamo.
He holds a degree in moral theology and most recently served as Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia.
He assumed the diplomatic post in 2023 after being appointed by Pope Francis, who consecrated him a bishop in 2019 and later sent him as Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe in January 2020.
This marks Pope Leo XIV’s second major appointment within the Secretariat of State, following last November’s selection of Assessor Rev. Msgr. Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo, a Nigerian theologian and canonist who previously served as Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The appointment underscores the Pope’s ongoing efforts to shape the Vatican’s central administration with experienced diplomatic and theological leadership.
By Newsroom
30th Mar 2026
END
