Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr Andrea Ciucci as chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, elevating a long-serving Vatican official who has worked closely with the academy for nearly a decade. The appointment was announced on 10 April.

Fr Ciucci, 59, is from Milan and has served as the academy’s secretariat coordinator since 2016. He holds a doctorate in the philosophy of religion from the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome. Before moving into curial work, he served as a parish vicar in Milan, and from 2012 to 2016 he worked at the former Pontifical Council for the Family.

He also serves as general secretary of the RenAIssance Foundation, a Vatican-linked institution that promotes an ethical approach to artificial intelligence. In addition, he teaches at the Pontifical Theological Institute John Paul II in Rome and has written and spoken publicly on new technologies and their effects on young people and families.

The appointment comes shortly after another change at the academy’s top level. Last month, Pope Leo gave the title of bishop to Renzo Pegoraro, the academy’s president. Pegoraro had previously served as chancellor from 2011 until his appointment as president in May 2025.

Under the academy’s statutes, the chancellor may represent the Pontifical Academy for Life on behalf of the president and works with him in directing and administering the institution’s activities. The role is therefore a significant one within one of the Vatican’s main bodies for reflection on bioethics, medicine, technology and questions touching human dignity.

Founded in February 1994 by St John Paul II, the Pontifical Academy for Life is one of the Holy See’s academic and cultural institutions bringing together experts to examine issues of importance to both the Church and the wider world. Fr Ciucci’s appointment suggests continued interest in questions at the intersection of Catholic moral teaching, family life and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.