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.

Each week, Colleen Dulle goes behind the headlines of the biggest Vatican news stories with America’s Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell. They'll break down complicated news stories that have a whole lot of history behind them in an understandable, engaging way. Colleen and Gerard will give you the inside scoop on what people inside the Vatican are thinking, saying—and planning.

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