VATICAN (OSV News): Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola named as the new archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and the pope’s vicar for Vatican City by Pope Leo XIV on October 10.
The 61-year-old succeeds Mauro Cardinal Gambetti, who was recently appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto.
Archbishop Viola currently serves as secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a position he has held since joining the Roman Curia in 2021.
A native of Biella in Italy’s Piedmont region, the archbishop entered the Franciscan order after high school and was ordained a priest in 1993. He later served in Assisi, Italy, and led the Diocese of Tortona from 2014 to 2021. He holds a doctorate in sacred liturgy from Rome’s Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Sant’Anselmo.
As archpriest, Archbishop Viola will oversee the day-to-day administration of St. Peter’s Basilica and preside at major liturgies when the pope is not present.
Pope Leo also named him president of the Fabric of St. Peter, the Vatican body responsible for the basilica’s upkeep, operations and care of pilgrims and visitors.
