ANALYSIS: Four new auxiliary bishops are expected to be appointed to the Diocese of Rome, following an upcoming meeting between the Pope and the diocesan prelates.
Editor’s Note: The Vatican confirmed on Feb. 25, after the story was published, that the individuals named by Andrea Gagliarducci were appointed as auxiliaries.
A set of rumored bishop appointments by Pope Leo XIV may set the tenor for how the Diocese of Rome relates to the See of Peter going forward, potentially digressing from the precedent set by the current Pontiff’s predecessors.
Four new auxiliary bishops are expected to be appointed to the Diocese of Rome, following an upcoming meeting between the Pope and the diocesan prelates.
The move would come after Pope Leo XIV’s decision to restore the central sector of the Diocese of Rome, which Pope Francis had abolished, thereby ending a long vacancy in some of the city’s territorial sectors.
Having served as episcopal vicars in recent years, Fathers Stefano Sparapani, Alessandro Zenobbi, Andrea Carlevale and Marco Valenti are the four priests who are expected to be promoted. If the rumors are true, Leo XIV will have once again demonstrated prudence in his appointments.
The decision to retain the episcopal vicars who have so far overseen the city’s various territorial sectors also signals a particular concern for the territory of Rome, since these are all Roman priests or those with extensive experience in Roman parishes who will be promoted to the episcopate.
For now, the position of Auxiliary Bishop Renato Tarantelli Baccari, who also serves as vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome, remains firm.
These have been long-awaited appointments. The Diocese of Rome was traditionally divided into five territorial sectors: north, south, east, west and the historic center. There were, therefore, five auxiliary bishops for the Diocese of Rome. With Pope Francis, the number had risen to eight auxiliaries, some with specific responsibilities. Pope Francis then abolished the sectors with a motu proprio on Oct. 3, 2024, emphasizing that there should be no “privileged” sector.
However, since 2024, there has been a sort of “exodus” of auxiliary bishops from the diocese. Currently, the only other auxiliary is Bishop Michele Di Tolve, appointed by Pope Francis in 2023 as rector of the seminary of Rome.
In January 2025, Bishop Paolo Ricciardi, auxiliary of Rome since 2017, was appointed bishop of Jesi. In June 2025, Bishop Benoni Ambarus, who had been an auxiliary of Rome since 2021, was appointed archbishop of Matera-Irsina. In 2024, two other auxiliaries of the Diocese of Rome were transferred: Daniele Salera was appointed bishop of Ivrea, in northern Italy, while Dario Gervasi was appointed adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life at the Vatican.
With the new bishop appointments, Leo XIV will have reestablished the episcopal hierarchy in the Diocese of Rome.
While there are no major upheavals for the Diocese of Rome, the appointments could trigger a domino effect that remains to be seen. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti’s five-year term as archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica also expires on Feb. 25.
Some rumors have even predicted a future for Cardinal Gambetti as archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, in central Italy. Until now, the archdiocese has been entrusted to Archbishop Bruno Forte, who has just turned 76 and is therefore a year past retirement age. The archdiocese was also led by Cardinal Loris Capovilla, John XXIII’s longtime secretary, but it was never a cardinalate.
Other rumors emphasize that Cardinal Gambetti could become archbishop of Benevento. Instead, it seems likely that Bishop Di Tolve will be appointed to Benevento.
Although the chatter about the Italian appointments may seem like inside baseball to the reader, it is worth remembering that the Pope is first and foremost the bishop of Rome; and, therefore, the way in which the appointments of auxiliaries are processed must be monitored to understand how the Pope intends to act.
The Church in Italy is currently undergoing a major generational shift. Thirteen Italian bishops will turn 75 in 2026, including Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan, while others have already turned 75,
With the upcoming appointments of Rome’s auxiliaries, Leo XIV demonstrates first of all that he wants to put an end to the exceptions of having episcopal vicars lead the sectors of Rome, ordaining new bishops and asking, in effect, for greater collegiality of government.
Is this the direction the Pope wants to give to the universal Church?
This article was originally published by NCRegister.
