Pope names chancellor of Pontifical Academy for Life

April 11, 2026

Pope Leo XIV named Father Andrea Ciucci the new chancellor, or second-ranking official, of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Father Ciucci succeeds Msgr. (now Archbishop) Renzo Pegararo, whom Pope Leo appointed as president of the academy last May.

Until the appointment, Father Ciucci was the academy’s third-ranking official as coordinator of the academy’s secretariat. He is also an official of the RenAIssance Foundation, a Vatican foundation devoted to reflection on AI.

Pope St. John Paul II founded the Pontifical Academy for Life with his 1994 motu proprio Mysterium Vitae (The Mystery of Life). Pope Leo XIV promulgated new statutes for the academy in February, replacing almost identical statutes issued by Pope Francis in 2016. The 2026 statutes, like the 2016 statutes, define the academy’s purpose as “the defense and promotion of the value of human life and of the dignity of the person.”

 

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Further information:

• Rinunce e nomine, 10.04.2026 (Holy See Press Office, 4/10/26)
• Reverend Andrea Ciucci appointed Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life (Pontifical Academy for Life, 4/10/26)