In a move to push the frontiers of the Church’s ever-growing focus on digital evangelisation, on 9 April 2026, the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Leo XIV appointed 12 new members to lead the Dicastery for Communication.
This list includes 12 high-ranking Church leaders from across the globe, reflecting a push for international representation in the Vatican’s media operations.
Pope Leo XIV. Credit: https://www.osvnews.com/pope-renews-membership-of-dicastery-for-clergy/
12 high-ranking Church leaders from across the globe
New members of the Dicastery for Communication include “Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches; Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, president of the Symposium des Conférences Episcopales d’Afrique et de Madagascar; Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B., archbishop of Rabat, Morocco.”
The Vatican also gave the names of other members as “Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão, archbishop of Goa and Damão, India, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences; Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World.
“Archbishop Ryan Jimenez P. of Agaña, Guam; Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbasa of Kondoa, Tanzania, president of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Communications; Bishop Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit of San Pablo, Philippines, president of the Office of Social Communications of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.”
Also in the list are “Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, O.S.A., auxiliary bishop and vicar general of Cuzco, Peru, secretary general of the Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño; the Reverend Father Roberto Pasolini, O.F.M. Cap., preacher of the Papal Household; and the distinguished Dr. Helen Osman, president of SIGNIS.”
Commentators think that key members and high-ranking prelates with significant regional responsibilities like Cardinals Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Cristóbal López Romero, Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão, and José Tolentino de Mendonça would bring their wealth of experience to the team.
Additionally, it is expected that Archbishops and Bishops like Salvatore Fisichella, Ryan Jimenez P., Bernardin Francis Mfumbasa, Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit, and Lizardo Estrada Herrera would offer insightful perspectives to the use of digital media for evangelisation.
Other key figures to look out for in the communication team are Rev. Father Roberto Pasolini, O.F.M. Cap. and Dr. Helen Osman, the President of SIGNIS, who have practical hands-on experience on how modern media can enrich the Church’s mission.
Dicastery for Communication: Set up, core responsibilities
Geared towards ministering to the evangelising needs of the universal Church, the Dicastery has 9 major unified entities or communication bodies, including Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Vatican Radio established in 1931, L’Osservatore Romano, a daily newspaper, established in 1861 and Vatican Television Centre (CTV).
Other entities include Vatican Publishing House (LEV), Vatican Printing Press , being the oldest entity set up in1587, Holy See Press Office, Vatican Internet Service and Photographic Service.
The Dicastery, which is led by a Prefect and a Secretary, who are appointed for five-year terms, has Dr. Paolo Ruffini as Prefect, the first layperson to head a Vatican dicastery, Msgr. Lucio Adrian Ruiz as Secretary and Matteo Bruni as Director of the Press Office.
The Dicastery for Communication is the department of the Roman Curia that manages the entire communication system of the Holy See and the Vatican City State.
Established by Pope Francis on 27 June 2015 (initially as the Secretariat for Communication), it unifies all previously independent media entities into a single editorial and administrative structure to better serve the Church’s mission in a digital age.
Its core responsibilities are serving as the central point of reference for all Vatican media activities, like publishing official acts of the Pope and the Holy See through the Holy See Press Office, and overseeing multilingual radio, television, and photographic services under the unified brand Vatican Media.
In addition, it manages the official institutional website (vatican.va) and the Pope’s social media accounts, such as @pontifex and develops a theological vision for communication and educating the faithful on its importance through activities like World Communications Day
Rather than a mere routine appointment, Advocatus Africa gathers that the move “signals a continued push by the Church to strengthen how the Gospel is communicated in today’s digital world.”
According to experts, it is expected that “With voices from Asia and across the global Church, this move reflects a broader, more inclusive vision of evangelisation in the modern age as the new appointees will oversee the Church media, press relations, and digital outreach worldwide.”
Editor’s Note: Featured photo is courtesy of Catholic Focus.
