Pope Leo XIV, Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, ordains four priests as auxiliary bishops, urging them to remain available to all, to proclaim God’s closeness, and to rekindle hope.
By Stefanie Stahlhofen
“This is a celebration of the people,” Pope Leo XIV declared at the beginning of his homily during the Mass at the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, during which he ordained four priests as auxiliary bishops of the Diocese of Rome: Stefano Sparapani, Alessandro Zenobbi, Andrea Carlevale, and Marco Valenti. With the exception of Marco Valenti, who comes from Cantalupo in Sabina, all were born in Rome.
In his homily, the Pope addressed the new auxiliary bishops as “dear brothers” and emphasized that, together with the Cardinal Vicar, they would help him, the Bishop of Rome, “to be for the Roman people an image of the Good Shepherd and to watch over the charity of the whole holy People of God spread throughout the world.”
Pope Leo also explained how he envisions their ministry: “You will be prophets in your ministry if you are men of peace and unity, who weave together—with threads of grace and mercy—the vast and populous spaces of this diocese, harmonizing differences, welcoming, listening, forgiving.”
Pope Leo told the new Auxiliary Bishops to be ‘men of peace and unityì (@Vatican Media)
Proclaiming and bringing hope to all
In his homily at the solemn Mass, the Pope – who since his first address after his election on May 8, 2025 has advocated for “an unarmed and disarming peace” – recalled that Jesus “walked among us as an unarmed and disarming prophet.”
He also emphasized, recalling the words of his predecessor Pope Francis, that it is necessary “to carry in our hearts the material and existential peripheries” and to go out to those on the margins of society, in order to proclaim to them “that no one is excluded from becoming an active part of the sacred building that is the Church and of the fraternity among human beings.”
The Bishop of Rome told the new auxiliary bishops of his diocese that “as priests, you have accepted this call, together with the parish communities you have accompanied. Now comes a new call, a further vocation, which always has the same core: no one, absolutely no one, must consider themselves rejected by God, and you will be heralds of this good news that stands at the heart of the Gospel.”
Close to everyone
Pope Leo also stressed the importance of being available to everyone, whether lay faithful, religious, or clergy: “Do not let yourselves be searched after; rather, let yourselves be found”.
“Ensure that priests, deacons, religious sisters and brothers, as well as lay people engaged in apostolic work, never feel alone,” the Pope stressed. “Help them to rekindle hope in their various ministries and to feel part of one and the same mission”
