Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr Marco Billeri as his second personal secretary, bringing to the papal household another cleric with a background in canon law.
The news was confirmed by Bishop Giovanni Paccosi of San Miniato, who disclosed that the Holy Father personally telephoned him last Wednesday to ask his consent for the appointment. The bishop later told the diocesan newspaper that he felt “joy and vertigo” at the request, recognising both the honour and the loss for his diocese.
Fr Billeri, 41, was born in Pontedera in the province of Pisa and ordained to the priesthood in 2016. After completing his formation, he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he gained a doctorate in canon law.
Since his ordination, Fr Billeri has served in a number of pastoral and juridical roles. He has been associate pastor of the parish of Saints Stephen and Martin in San Miniato Basso, secretary of the Presbyteral Council, and episcopal master of ceremonies for the diocese. He has also worked extensively in the Church’s courts, serving as a judge at the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Tuscany and as defender of the bond at the tribunals of San Miniato and Volterra.
His appointment marks the continuation of a pattern under Pope Leo XIV of entrusting close positions within his household to priests trained in canon law. The Pope’s first personal secretary, Fr Edgar Iván Rimaycuna Inga of Chiclayo in Peru, also has experience in this field.
The Diocese of San Miniato, one of the smaller dioceses of Tuscany, has previously been little known outside its region, but the elevation of one of its priests to papal service has been received as an unexpected distinction. Bishop Paccosi described it as a “great gift” for the local Church and has called on the faithful to pray for Fr Billeri as he begins his new mission in Rome.
Papal secretaries are entrusted with the daily organisation of the Pope’s personal schedule, correspondence, and audiences, working at the closest level of his ministry. In recent decades, the post has served as a stepping stone for priests who have later been named bishops, diplomats, or senior officials of the Roman Curia.
The figure of the papal secretary has often been seen as emblematic of the style of a pontificate. St John Paul II’s long-serving secretary, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, became one of the most prominent faces of his papacy, while Pope Benedict XVI’s secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, became widely known for his public role in the years following Benedict’s resignation.
By selecting a relatively young priest from a small Tuscan diocese, Pope Leo XIV has again shown his preference for drawing talent from beyond the established centres of Vatican administration. The appointment of Fr Billeri follows the recent nomination of the canonist Bishop Filippo Iannone as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, reinforcing the impression that His Holiness is surrounding himself with figures noted for their juridical expertise.
Taken together, these choices suggest a papacy steering the ship of the Curia towards stability, with the Pope showing no eagerness—at least for now—to define or project a distinct personal image.
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