(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 05.19.2025).- Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Baldassare Reina as the new Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. The announcement, made public by the Holy See Press Office on Monday May 19, marks a significant course correction after nearly a decade of contested leadership and theological ambiguity.
Cardinal Reina, who currently serves as the Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome and as Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University, now assumes stewardship of an institute originally envisioned by Saint John Paul II to defend and explore the Church’s teachings on marriage, sexuality, and family in fidelity to the Gospel. His appointment reestablishes a long-standing Vatican custom: aligning the role of Grand Chancellor with the Pope’s Vicar for Rome, the diocese in which the institute was founded and continues to operate.
Though this change does not formally amend the statutes revised in 2019—which grant the Pope direct discretion in such appointments—it represents a reorientation. Vatican insiders see it as a reaffirmation of the institute’s original mission and a sign of Pope Leo XIV’s desire to heal internal rifts and reassert the theological identity of one of the Church’s most emblematic academic institutions.
The move effectively ends the controversial tenure of Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, whose appointment in 2016 by Pope Francis was an explicit exception to norms. Paglia’s leadership was marked by turbulent reforms, the ousting of veteran faculty, and an embrace of what was often described as a “new pastoral theology”—a vision that left many observers questioning its doctrinal clarity and fidelity to Church teaching. His public statements on issues such as euthanasia, gender ideology, and bioethics repeatedly stirred dismay among Catholic scholars and bishops alike.
With Cardinal Reina, the Vatican seems intent on restoring both trust and tradition. His dual role as Grand Chancellor of the Lateran University further integrates the institute back into the ecclesiastical and academic fabric of Rome, reinforcing a sense of theological and institutional unity.
In the complex governance of pontifical universities, the Grand Chancellor is far from a ceremonial figure. According to the institute’s current statutes, the Grand Chancellor holds sweeping responsibilities: from safeguarding doctrinal fidelity and academic excellence to overseeing faculty appointments, authorizing honorary degrees, and convening the institute’s highest deliberative body. In effect, he is the anchor ensuring the institute remains in communion with the Church’s magisterium while navigating contemporary academic and pastoral challenges.
Observers have welcomed the appointment as a breath of fresh air, recalling the institute’s past stability under leaders such as Msgr. Pierangelo Sequeri, an accomplished theologian known for his deep fidelity to the Church’s teachings. Though Msgr. Philippe Bordeyne currently serves as president, many now wonder whether further adjustments in leadership may follow as the institute reorients itself under new guidance.
Thank you for reading our content. If you would like to receive ZENIT’s daily e-mail news, you can subscribe for free through this link.
