Pope Leo names Canadian-born Prefect of the Papal Household

Archbishop Petar Rajič, a Canadian of Croatian heritage, was named Prefect of the Papal Household, a position which had not been filled since Benedict XVI's secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, was made Apostolic Nuncio to the Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania).

Archbishop Rajič himself was nuncio to those countries until 2024. In this position, he oversees those who take care of the daily management of the Pope's work and life.

Born in Toronto in 1959, Petar Rajič was ordained a priest in 1987 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1993. Since 2009, he has been sent by successive popes to numerous countries as apostolic nuncio. He has served notably in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Angola, the Baltic states and, finally, in Italy and San Marino since 2024.

With this appointment, Pope Francis fills a vacancy left by the departure of Archbishop Georg Gänswein, whom Pope Francis relieved of his duties in February 2023. Aged 66, Archbishop Petar Rajič takes the helm of the Papal Household, whose remit was defined by John Paul II.

The prelate will assist the Pope at the Apostolic Palace and during his travels within Italy. He will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of papal ceremonies, with the exception of the liturgical aspects. Finally, it is Archbishop Rajič who will be responsible for organizing papal audiences, whether public or private.

Until now, the Pope had relied on Bishop Leonardo Sapienza, appointed Regent of the Papal Household in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. In late 2025, Pope Leo XIV also appointed Father Edward Daniang Daleng, an Augustinian friar like the Pope, as vice-regent of this institution of the Roman Curia.

Archbishop Paolo Rudelli, 55, is the new Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. He had been the nuncio in Colombia, and has been working in Vatican diplomacy for more than two decades.

The new ‘number two’ of the Secretariat of State and principal assistant to Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin had been Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia since 2023.

Paolo Rudelli, born in 1970, was ordained a priest in 1995 for the Diocese of Bergamo, in northern Italy. After studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, he entered the service of the Holy See on 1 July 2001.

During his career, he served notably at the nunciatures in Ecuador and Poland, before becoming the Holy See’s permanent observer to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. He was subsequently ordained archbishop in 2019 and appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe in 2020, followed by his appointment as Nuncio to Colombia.

Often referred to as the Holy See’s ‘Minister of the Interior,’ the Substitute of the Secretariat of State holds a key position in the administration of the Curia. He essentially acts as a liaison between the Pope and those who need to address him. He is also the one who carries out many of the Pope’s decisions.

The archbishop will head the first section of the Secretariat of State, dedicated to “General Affairs,” which handles matters relating to the Pope’s daily duties. This department is thus responsible for drafting documents entrusted by the Supreme Pontiff, dealing with acts concerning appointments within the Roman Curia, and safeguarding the lead seal and the Pope’s Fisherman’s Ring.

The ‘first section’ also oversees the Holy See’s official communications bodies and the publication of the Acta Apostolicæ Sedis (official acts of the Holy See) and the Pontifical Yearbook. In 2017, Pope Francis removed the management of the Holy See’s representatives from his remit, establishing it as an autonomous diplomatic section.

The Substitute for General Affairs is assisted by a prelate, the Assessor for General Affairs, currently the Nigerian Bishop Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo.

Archbishop Rudelli succeeds Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who will now become Apostolic Nuncio to Italy.

Having been in Monaco last Saturday to accompany Leo XIV, Bishop Edgar Peña Parra will cross the Tiber to take up residence at Villa Giorgina, the seat of the Apostolic Nunciature in Italy and San Marino. Originally from Maracaibo in Venezuela, he joined the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1993 before serving in Kenya, Yugoslavia, Geneva, Honduras and Mexico.

In 2011, Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio – a first for a Venezuelan – to Pakistan, which led to his ordination as archbishop.

In 2015, Pope Francis sent him to Mozambique, before recalling him to Rome to take up the post of substitute. His arrival was a delicate one, marked by the financial scandal surrounding the London property and the downfall of his predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Becciu.

The appointment of a substitute to a nunciature is a first since the Second Vatican Council: all his predecessors were entrusted with the leadership of a dicastery or a body of the Roman Curia, and were created cardinals. This post of nuncio remains nonetheless prestigious due to the influence of the Catholic Church in Italy and the strategic importance of relations between the Holy See and the Italian State.

In a statement released on Monday, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra thanked the Pope and expressed his loyalty to him. The 66-year-old prelate emphasised the importance of the “silent, often invisible, yet essential service to the life of the Church” provided by the Section for General Affairs, which he has led for eight years.