Vatican City – Pope Leo XIV has today appointed the Reverend Mons. Roberto Campisi as the new Permanent Observer of the Holy See to U.N.E.S.C.O., with the additional responsibility of overseeing the work of Catholic International Organizations. An appointment that marks a decisive shift in the internal geography of the Secretariat of State.
Born in Syracuse (Italy) on November 18, 1978, Campisi was ordained a priest on December 7, 2002, and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Syracuse. After earning a degree in Utroque Iure, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on July 1, 2010. His career led him to serve in the Pontifical Representations in Ivory Coast, Venezuela, Italy, and later in the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State as Counsellor of Nunciature. On October 26, 2022, he was appointed Assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State by Pope Francis. On February 26, 2025, in his capacity as assessor, he was appointed to the Commissio de Donationibus pro Sancta Sede, established during the closing phase of Pope Francis’ pontificate, when someone in the Terza Loggia attempted to restore order to the “economic question” disordered by the Bergoglian pontificate. Indeed, the Argentine Pope had stripped the Secretariat of State of most of its financial resources, transferring them to bodies under his direct control, thus reducing the Secretariat to the point of being unable to carry out even its ordinary functions.
Campisi, a figure pushed and sponsored by the outgoing Luigi Roberto Cona—whose record deserves a merciful silence and who, fortunately, is now nearly 10,000 kilometers away from Rome—carried out his duties in a manner that was, to say the least, highly questionable.
The Role of the Assessor According to Praedicate Evangelium
The duties of the Assessor are set out in the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium (arts. 45–48). He assists the Substitute for General Affairs in managing the Pope’s daily business, coordinating the dicasteries and Vatican bodies, drafting and publishing papal documents, safeguarding the lead seal and the Fisherman’s Ring. He also oversees appointments approved by the Pope, the preparation of honors, the compilation of statistics on the life of the Church, and the coordination of official communications.
In theory, therefore, it is a role of extreme delicacy, requiring discretion, humility, and transparency. In practice, however, Campisi distinguished himself by an attitude that many considered far removed from these criteria.
Strained Relationships and Ambiguous Loyalties
The Sicilian priest cultivated a close relationship with the previous Pope, often becoming an instrument of his power dynamics. It was the classic scheme adopted by Bergoglio: divide et impera. Thus, figures were created who were ready to obey blindly to his desires, transformed into puppets with no regard for relations with colleagues or loyalty to their superiors. Those who believed themselves to enjoy the Pope’s unconditional support ended up adopting arrogant behavior, forgetting the ethics and Christian conduct that should have guided their actions. The result was a climate of oppression.
It was within this context that the clash with his direct superior, Mons. Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs, erupted. Their relationship quickly deteriorated: Campisi consistently acted independently, even interfering in matters concerning his own ecclesiastical region, from which he should have kept his distance. His loyalty to Bergoglio was well known, but—as often happened in that period—it was a loyalty of convenience.
The Substitute’s Second Move
This appointment represents the second significant move by the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, after ordering the merger of the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children into the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. With Campisi’s departure from the Terza Loggia—the first assessor to leave office without being given the paonazzo zucchetto—another of Francis’ loyalists is removed. Moreover, this morning Campisi did not even show up at the office, thereby avoiding having the announcement made in the Secretariat of State in his presence. A gesture as grotesque as it is revealing: a symbol of the double standards typical of certain figures, zealous in harshly imposing rules on their subordinates when in power, but quick to scorn them as soon as they are put back in their place.
This move too signals a change of course, one that it is hoped will soon lead the Secretariat of State to recover its authentic mission: to support the Pope and serve the universal Church.
d.T.C.
Silere non possum