Pope names Cardinal Reina as chancellor of marriage and family sciences institute

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Baldassare Reina as the new grand chancellor of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. Cardinal Reina takes over from Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who retired upon reaching the Vatican's mandatory retirement age of 80 on April 20. Archbishop Paglia had held the position since 2016.

Cardinal Reina also serves as papal vicar for Rome, a role that automatically makes him the grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University, where the institute is located.

The institute was founded by St. John Paul II in 1982 following a call from the 1980 Synod of Bishops on the family to create centers focused on studying church teachings on marriage and family. After subsequent synods in 2014 and 2015 emphasized a need for a more pastoral approach to modern family life, Pope Francis revised its statutes in 2017. He highlighted the importance of reflection and academic formation with a "pastoral perspective and attention to the wounds of humanity," while maintaining its original inspiration.

Pope Francis expanded the institute's scope by designating it as a "theological" institute also dedicated to human "sciences." This change aims to deepen understanding of revelation and faith tradition, addressing anthropological and cultural shifts impacting human life. Pope Francis wrote that this requires an approach beyond traditional pastoral practices.

Archbishop Paglia, who greeted Pope Francis during a meeting with the institute’s academic community at the Vatican on November 25, 2024, is also expected to retire from his role as president of the Pontifical Academy for Life now that he has turned 80. In 2016, Pope Francis updated this academy's statutes too. Originally founded by St. John Paul II in 1994 to defend human life and dignity, its goals now include promoting respect across ages and genders, defending individual dignity, and fostering an authentic "human ecology."

Cindy Wooden serves as editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service Rome.