VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — In one of the first major appointments of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has replaced the controversial president of the John Paul II Institute, which was itself gutted by Pope Francis in 2019.
As announced by the Holy See Press Office today, Leo XIV has named Cardinal Baldassare Reina as the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Theological Institute “John Paul II” for the Sciences of Marriage and the Family.
As of October last year, Reina – created cardinal in December 2024 – is the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, having been an auxiliary of the diocese for two years prior to that.
The 54-year-old cardinal’s appointment comes as the first major nomination made by the new Pope in the various offices of the Roman Curia, and is being welcomed by pro-life advocates. Though his public role has largely revolved around curial issues in the Diocese of Rome in recent years, his record on pro-life matters is believed to be more orthodox than that of the man he is replacing.
The Institute, more commonly known as the “John Paul II Institute” has been led by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia as Grand Chancellor since 2016.
In was in August of that year that Pope Francis named Paglia to lead the John Paul II Institute and also to serve as president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Both of these pontifical institutions were subject to drastic overhauls at the hands of Pope Francis and Paglia.
Paglia – who turned 80 a few weeks ago – enjoyed notable prominence during Francis’ pontificate, and was a key figure in implementing the changes to both pontifical institutes as ordered by Francis.
The gutting of the John Paul II institute began in earnest in 2019, with the dismissing of its president Monsignor Livio Melina and the immediate suspension of all professors.
Staff were subsequently selected who advocated for moral positions contrary to those previously defended by the Institute – such as defending homosexuality and contraception.
Melina commented shortly afterwards that “if the decisions taken by Archbishop Paglia are not revoked, then what they are saying is: ‘The interpretation of the magisterium of Pope Francis in continuity with the previous Magisterium is intolerable in the Church.’”
Veteran Catholic journalist Phil Lawler echoed such thoughts, writing that “the purge at the John Paul II Institute has eliminated the faculty members most closely associated with the thought of the Pope — and canonized saint — after whom the Institute is named.”
Subsequent presidents after Melina began advocating for the acceptance of blessings for homosexual couples and their reception of the sacraments.
Francis’ gutting of the John Paul II Institute faced considerable pushback from theologians and ethicists around the world, concerned about the direction the Vatican office was taking. Indeed the gutting of the Institute is still named today as one of the key controversies of the Francis papacy.
Similar scenes took place at the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV). The Academy has been described as being permeated by “heretical gnosticism” after it was overhauled by Francis beginning in 2016. The Pope released new statutes for the PAV in November 2016, in which members were no longer required to sign a declaration that they uphold the Church’s pro-life teachings, while also expanding the PAV’s mandate to include a focus on the environment.
Over the years Paglia himself has become increasingly controversial due to his comments on a number of issues relating to life and family.
At the time of his appointment to lead both institutions in 2016, Paglia was already known as an advocate for the divorced and “re-married” to receive Holy Communion.
Since then he has garnered even more controversy due to remarks in which he defended assisted suicide and advocated for contraception.
The archbishop attacked Catholics who held moral objections to abortion-tainted COVID-19 injections, and has further been embroiled in allegations of significant financial corruption – diverting charitable funds away from their intended purpose to renovate his Vatican apartment.
Most infamously, Paglia commissioned a homoerotic mural to be painted in his cathedral in which he also featured amongst the scene of naked figures.
The artist was a homosexual Argentinian, known for his speciality in depicting male bodies, and the image prompted widespread scandal in many corners of the globe.
Whilst Paglia has been removed from his position, the president of the John Paul II Institute – who is subject to the Grand Chancellor – remains in place. Since 2021, that office has been held by Monsignor Philippe Bordeyne, whose views on traditional Catholic morality and homosexual advocacy have also given many cause for concern.
Paglia remains as president of the PAV.
