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CV NEWS FEED // Pope Leo XIV appointed the vicar general of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, as the new grand chancellor of the Pontifical “John Paul II” Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The change represents a return to the tradition of the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome and the grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University being appointed as head of the institute, which was born from the university.
According to the Holy See Press Office, when Pope Francis appointed the previous grand chancellor — Archbishop (then-Monsignor) Vincenzo Paglia — he did so “in derogation of” article six of the institute’s statutes, which specified that the vicar general, who is also the grand chancellor of Pontifical Lateran University, should be the institute’s grand chancellor. Pope Francis revised the statutes in 2019 so that they no longer specified who should be appointed as grand chancellor.
The change in statutes came under renewed scrutiny amid growing controversy surrounding Archbishop Paglia’s public stance on sensitive moral issues.
In 2023, Archbishop Paglia came under serious criticism for his support of a law depenalizing euthanasia in Italy, as CatholicVote previously reported.
Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported in 2022 that in an Italian television interview, Archbishop Paglia called Italy’s law allowing abortion “a pillar of society.” The Pontifical Academy for Life then stated that the comment was taken out of context and that the archbishop meant that it would be very difficult to repeal the legislation.
While the archbishop was grand chancellor of the institute, it promoted a Vatican-published book that some argued falsely presented the Church’s teaching on contraception. The book summarized a seminar from 2021 in which one participant argued that contraception may be permissible in some circumstances.
Under Archbishop Paglia’s leadership, the Pontifical Academy “betray[ed] the intention of the saint and scholar who founded it,” according to Pope John Paul II’s biographer George Weigel.
Amid criticisms of the institute’s recent direction, the appointment of Cardinal Reina signals a potential return to its founding mission and a renewed emphasis on life-affirming witness.
The new grand chancellor, Cardinal Reina, 54, was previously a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy, according to the College of Cardinals Report. Pope Francis appointed him as an auxiliary bishop of Rome and titular bishop of Acquae in Mauretania in May 2022. He was named vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome on January 6, 2023, rising to the rank of archbishop. In December 2024, Pope Francis appointed him as the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome and elevated him to the rank of cardinal.
He has shown his support for the sanctity of life through his investigation into the holy life of Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo, an Italian mother of three who sacrificed her life for her baby.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Petrillo refused abortions for her first two babies, both of whom were seriously disabled. Tragically, each child died within an hour of birth, but Petrillo and her husband welcomed them with joy and ensured they were baptized soon after birth.
Petrillo’s third child, Francesco, was a healthy baby, but Petrillo was diagnosed with cancer during her pregnancy with him. She refused treatment until after his birth, and succumbed to the cancer a year later. Francesco is now a healthy teenager.
“We commit ourselves to imitating Chiara, because we are all called to holiness in our daily lives, in difficulties, in problems, in illnesses,” Cardinal Reina said at the closing session of the diocesan inquiry into Petrillo’s life, virtues, and reputation for sanctity. “Chiara teaches us, together with an infinite host of men and women, that holiness is a possible path. It is the only path that makes us happy.”
