Pope Leo XIV Removes Controversial Archbishop Paglia as Head of John Paul II Institute
VATICAN CITY — In one of the first major appointments of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has replaced the controversial president of the John Paul II Institute, which was itself gutted by Pope Francis in 2019.
As announced by the Holy See Press Office today, Leo XIV has named Cardinal Baldassare Reina as the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Theological Institute “John Paul II” for the Sciences of Marriage and the Family.
As of October last year, Reina – created cardinal in December 2024 – is the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, having been an auxiliary of the diocese for two years prior to that.
The 54-year-old cardinal’s appointment comes as the first major nomination made by the new Pope in the various offices of the Roman Curia, and is being welcomed by pro-life advocates. Though his public role has largely revolved around curial issues in the Diocese of Rome in recent years, his record on pro-life matters is believed to be more orthodox than that of the man he is replacing.
The Institute, more commonly known as the “John Paul II Institute” has been led by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia as Grand Chancellor since 2016.
In was in August of that year that Pope Francis named Paglia to lead the John Paul II Institute and also to serve as president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Both of these pontifical institutions were subject to drastic overhauls at the hands of Pope Francis and Paglia.
Paglia – who turned 80 a few weeks ago – enjoyed notable prominence during Francis’ pontificate, and was a key figure in implementing the changes to both pontifical institutes as ordered by Francis.
The gutting of the John Paul II institute began in earnest in 2019, with the dismissing of its president Monsignor Livio Melina and the immediate suspension of all professors.
Staff were subsequently selected who advocated for moral positions contrary to those previously defended by the Institute – such as defending homosexuality and contraception.
Melina commented shortly afterwards that “if the decisions taken by Archbishop Paglia are not revoked, then what they are saying is: ‘The interpretation of the magisterium of Pope Francis in continuity with the previous Magisterium is intolerable in the Church.’”
Veteran Catholic journalist Phil Lawler echoed such thoughts, writing that “the purge at the Joh
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