Archbishop Paolo Rudelli is the new head of the general affairs section of the Secretariat of State and Archbishop Petar Rajič is the new prefect of the Papal Household.
Pope Leo XIV on Monday appointed Italian Archbishop Paolo Rudelli the new head of the general affairs section of the Secretariat of State — one of the most influential positions in the Roman Curia. The so-called “sostituto” (“substitute”) is commonly considered the third most powerful position in the Vatican, after the Holy Father and the secretary of state.
The pontiff also named Archbishop Petar Rajič the new prefect of the Papal Household, the body of the Roman Curia responsible for organizing the pope’s schedule, audiences, and ceremonies — a position considered one of the highest levels of trust.
Rajič, who is Canadian and Croatian, has been serving as apostolic nuncio to Italy and the Republic of San Marino. His appointment places him in a key role for managing the day-to-day public activities of the pope.
The new “sostituto,” 55-year-old Rudelli, has been apostolic nuncio to Colombia since 2023. He replaces Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, a Venezuelan who has been in the role since 2018 and who will replace Rajič as the pope’s envoy to Italy and San Marino.
In a farewell speech delivered on March 30 at the Apostolic Palace, Peña Parra recalled some of the most significant moments of his tenure in the Secretariat of State, including the Vatican trial over the department’s investment in a London property, which subjected Peña Parra and his colleagues “to unprecedented media and judicial scrutiny, requiring rigor, transparency, and a sense of responsibility on our part.”
The appointment to the No. 2 position in the Secretariat of State is the biggest change to Vatican leadership made by Pope Leo since his election on May 8, 2025.
The “sostituto” is responsible for key functions in the internal coordination of the Holy See, especially at the operational level in the day-to-day management of the Secretariat of State and in the direct oversight of the pope’s documents, speeches, and activities.
These duties are accompanied by the task of publishing and disseminating official communications regarding the activity of the pope and the Holy See as well as organizing apostolic journeys.
Rudelli: From northern Italy to South America
The Italian archbishop, born in 1970 in the province of Bergamo in northern Italy, has extensive experience in the Holy See’s diplomatic service, which has brought him to posts in Europe, Africa, and South America.
He entered the Vatican’s diplomatic service in the early 2000s. Between 2001 and 2003 he worked at the apostolic nunciature in Ecuador and, later, from 2003 to 2006, at the pontifical representation in Poland.
From 2006 to 2014 he served as secretary and later counselor of the nunciature in the first section of the Secretariat of State, gaining direct experience at the heart of Vatican governance.
He was later named permanent observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
In 2019 he was ordained archbishop in St. Peter’s Basilica by Pope Francis, who in January 2020 sent him as apostolic nuncio to Zimbabwe. In 2023, he was transferred to Colombia.
Rajič: Posts in Muslim-majority countries
Rajič was born in Toronto on June 12, 1959, into a family of Bosnian-Croatian origin. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1987, and was incardinated in the Diocese of Trebinje, connected to his parents’ roots, after having studied at the seminary in Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1993 and served in various posts, including Iran and Lithuania. He also worked in the general affairs section of the Secretariat of State.
On Dec. 2, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Rajič apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar as well as apostolic delegate to the Arabian Peninsula.
His episcopal consecration took place on Jan. 23, 2010, in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a choice rich in symbolism in a city still marked by divisions between Muslim and Christian communities, coinciding with his mission to countries with Muslim majorities.
Two months later, his diplomatic mission was expanded to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. On June 15, 2015, Pope Francis appointed the archbishop nuncio to Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe.
During his diplomatic service in Angola, Rajič played a significant role in achieving the framework agreement between the Holy See and the African country in 2019, particularly regarding broadcasts of the Catholic station Radio Ecclesia.
That same year he was transferred to the apostolic nunciature in Lithuania and, on Aug. 6, 2019, he was also entrusted with being the papal representative to Estonia and Latvia.
This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. They have been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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