Pope Leo made a surprise appointment to fill the position he left behind as Prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, the office that vets and recommends candidates to lead dioceses around the world. The man he chose, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, age 67, is an Italian bishop and member of the Carmelite Order. He was not, per Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell, among the names circulated before the appointment was made.

In this short episode of “Inside the Vatican”—abbreviated because of a forthcoming deep dive episode—Colleen and Gerry discuss Archbishop Iannone’s background and what he may bring to this influential Vatican role.

Links from the show:

Pope Leo makes a surprise pick for his first major Vatican appointment

Deep Dive: Inside the top secret process of appointing a Catholic bishop

King Charles III to make delayed state visit to Vatican 6 months after death of Pope Francis

NYC choir performs at the Vatican for Pope Leo—in his own words

Credits:

Producer: Ricardo da Silva, SJ

Audio engineering and video editing: Kevin Christopher Robles

Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes

Inside the Vatican is a production of America Media.

Support Inside the Vatican by subscribing to America Magazine!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices