The new secretary of the Dicastery for the Clergy exemplifies the pope\u2019s push for rule-of-law governance and seasoned hands in Rome.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV\u2019s appointment earlier this month of Archbishop Carlo Roberto Maria Redaelli as secretary of the Dicastery for the Clergy places a seasoned canon lawyer and administrator as the No. 2 in a curial office that directly shapes priestly discipline, pastoral ministry, and formation.<\/p>\n
The choice suggests an emphasis on procedural clarity, canonical competence, and experienced leadership in an area where decisions often involve sensitive, high-stakes situations. Redaelli\u2019s track record also points to a governing temperament that favors structured pastoral discernment rather than reactive, polarizing moves \u2014 an approach that fits the dicastery\u2019s day-to-day reality and one illustrated by his handling of a controversial case during his tenure as archbishop of Gorizia.<\/p>\n
The choice of Redaelli, a canon lawyer, is the latest indication that Pope Leo XIV wants canon law at the center of his governing team, consistent with the appointments of Monsignor Filippo Iannone to lead the Dicastery for Bishops and of Don Marco Billeri as the pope\u2019s second personal secretary. Leo, himself trained as a canon lawyer, reportedly emphasized canon law in the general congregations preceding the conclave that elected him last May.<\/p>\n
Carlo Roberto Maria Redaelli was born in Milan on June 23, 1956, and was ordained a priest in 1980. In 1988 he earned a degree in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University.<\/p>\n
His pastoral and administrative service unfolded in the Archdiocese of Milan. He received priestly ordination from the then-archbishop \u2014 and future cardinal \u2014 Carlo Maria Martini, whom Redaelli later called \u201ca great master of discernment\u201d and who was widely seen as a hero to progressive Catholics in Italy and beyond.<\/p>\n
During his years in Milan, Redaelli served in the archdiocese\u2019s legal office; was president of the Committee for Ecclesiastical Entities and Goods of the Italian Episcopal Conference; sat on the board of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano; and in 2004 was appointed vicar general of the Archdiocese of Milan by Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Martini\u2019s successor. John Paul II chose him titular bishop of Lambesis and appointed him auxiliary bishop of Milan on April 8, 2004. Until 2012, Redaelli remained vicar general of Milan, confirmed in the role also by Cardinal Angelo Scola, Tettamanzi\u2019s successor.<\/p>\n
On June 28, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI promoted him to metropolitan archbishop of Gorizia. In the diocese in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Redaelli encountered \u2014 in 2017 \u2014 the case of a scout leader who had entered into a civil union with his same-sex partner. Redaelli intervened through a letter to the presbyteral council of Gorizia, proposing not an outright condemnation but a path of common discernment on how to address new and complex questions for the Church, urging everyone to engage with \u201crespect, attention, and pastoral discernment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He now moves to the Vatican to serve at the Dicastery for the Clergy, a key body in the Church\u2019s structure. It deals with matters concerning diocesan priests and deacons \u2014 their persons, their pastoral ministry, and what they need for that ministry to be carried out fruitfully \u2014 offering bishops appropriate assistance. It also expresses and implements the Apostolic See\u2019s concern for the formation of candidates for holy orders.<\/p>\n
Redaelli will turn 70 next June 23. Compared with the recent past, Leo XIV seems to be seeking \u2014 alongside canon-law specialists \u2014 men with substantial experience: for example, Redaelli\u2019s predecessor, Archbishop Ferrada Moreira, had been appointed by Pope Francis at 52.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n