(ZENIT News / Rome, 03.12.2026).- The Diocese of Rome is preparing for a new ands significant moment in its pastoral life after Pope Leo XIV approved the ordination of new candidates to both the priesthood and the permanent diaconate, a development welcomed locally as a sign of renewed hope for the Church in the Italian capital.
The authorization, granted on March 7, clears the way for the ordination of eight future priests and seven permanent deacons who have completed the required stages of formation and examination under the diocesan commissions responsible for evaluating candidates for sacred orders. According to the Vicariate of Rome, the decision follows formal assessments carried out in February by the commissions known as Promovendis ad Ordines Sacros, the canonical bodies charged with verifying the readiness of candidates for ordination.
A dual celebration in Rome’s principal basilicas
The first ceremony will take place on April 18, when seven men will be ordained to the permanent diaconate at the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran, better known as the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. The liturgy is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. local time and will be presided over by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope’s vicar general for the Diocese of Rome.
The candidates for the permanent diaconate are Attilio Altamura, Alfredo Arolchi, Roberto Carletti, Mauro Chialastri, Salvatore Cottu, Giuliano Ferraro and Igino Travaglino.
In Catholic ecclesiology, permanent deacons occupy a distinct role within the sacrament of Holy Orders. Unlike transitional deacons who are on the path toward priesthood, permanent deacons—many of whom are married—are ordained for a stable ministry of service. They may proclaim the Gospel at Mass, preach, baptize, witness marriages and engage in charitable and pastoral work, though they do not celebrate the Eucharist or hear confessions.
Ordinations to the priesthood on Good Shepherd Sunday
Just over a week later, on April 26, eight seminarians of the Diocese of Rome will be ordained priests by Pope Leo XIV himself in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The date coincides with the Fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally known in the Catholic calendar as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” a day dedicated in a special way to prayer for priestly and religious vocations. The Vatican has not yet announced the exact time of the liturgy.
The candidates preparing for priestly ordination are Guglielmo Lapenna, Giorgio Larosa, José Emanuele Nleme Sabate, Giovanni Emanuele Nunziante Salazar, Antonino Ordine, Yordan Camilo Ramos Medina, Daniele Riscica and Cristian Sguazzino.
Their admission to ordination follows a favorable judgment by the diocesan commission that examined them on February 13, while the candidates for the permanent diaconate had previously been evaluated on February 9.
A sign of hope for the local Church
In a statement announcing the news, the Vicariate of Rome described the forthcoming ordinations as a moment of “deep gratitude to the Lord and living hope for the entire Church in Rome.”
The local Church has invited the faithful to accompany the candidates with prayer as they approach ordination, entrusting them to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and asking that they become, in the words of the diocesan message, “humble and joyful servants of the Gospel according to the heart of Christ.”
The statement also urged Catholics to pray for new vocations to both the priesthood and the diaconate so that the Church may continue to provide pastors and ministers for the People of God.
Ordinations in the Pope’s own diocese carry particular symbolic weight. While the Bishop of Rome presides over the universal Catholic Church, he is also the ordinary shepherd of the local Roman diocese. For that reason, priestly ordinations celebrated by the pope in St. Peter’s Basilica are traditionally seen as a visible reminder of the link between the global mission of the Church and the pastoral life of its historic center.
For the Church in Rome—often described as the mother diocese of Catholicism—the arrival of new priests and deacons represents more than a ceremonial milestone. It is also a practical reinforcement of pastoral ministry in a city that combines a global religious role with the everyday demands of parish life for hundreds of thousands of Catholics.
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