Leo XIV: Balance of Power(s)

Everyone is waiting for Leo XIV to reshape the Roman Curia. Five department heads are already over 75, and there will be six by the end of the year. Vatican watchers are also keeping eyes on Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the sostituto –think “papal chief-of-staff” – who has had a controversial tenure in his current office and is rumored to be on his way out, destined for the role of nuncio to Italy.

Big changes are coming; in other words, the only question is “When?” and the answer is largely a question of timing.

That said, there has been a lot happening below the surface – perhaps I ought to say beneath the radar – including some really crucial appointments that demonstrate how Leo XIV is working to rebalance power within the Vatican.

Another example of these less-visible appointments is the recent selection of Anton Kappler as second-chamber adjutant (the pope’s personal valet, or “body man,” in jargon). While it may seem minor, this move is likely to have a profound impact.

Kappler served in the Swiss Guard for 25 years, reaching the rank of lieutenant, and is fluent in Italian, French, and German. He is relatively young and widely considered a reliable figure. It is likely he had been preparing a return to Switzerland after his quarter-century of service in the Guard.

The context for Kappler’s new role becomes clearer when considering the Pope’s decision to place him alongside Piergiorgio Zanetti, Pope Francis’s trusted aide de chambre.

The presence of a former Swiss Guard in the papal entourage has profound significance. It also signifies a rebalancing of the powers that govern internal relations within the Vatican. Zanetti had come to the palace from the gendarmerie – the Vatican City police force – an organization that came to hold significant power during the Francis years.

The Swiss Guard has the specific task of defending the Pope and guards the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Over the Francis years, however, the papal entourage and the Swiss Guard seemed increasingly distant, if only because of the late pontiff’s “allergy” to institutional contexts or frameworks.

Leo XIV not only bridges the gap between the institutions but also incorporates a former guard into his papal household, pairs him with a butler who already has considerable experience, and makes it an office called upon not only to be particularly efficient but to work toward the good of the institution.

Mutual cooperation appears to be a central theme for Leo XIV.

This is evident in another detail. The new Prefect of the Papal Household is expected to be Archbishop Petar Rajič, currently the nuncio to Italy and previously to Angola and the Baltic States. Rajič, a Canadian of Croatian origin, has extensive diplomatic experience. In the Prefecture of the Papal Household, he will serve as a liaison between the Secretariat of State and the Papal Apartment, acting as a diplomat within the ranks of the Pope’s family.

Should the choice of Rajic as Prefect of the Papal Household be confirmed, it would be a further demonstration of Leo XIV’s preference for figures who could act as bridges rather than create distance, a function of Leo’s desire to see Vatican institutions collaborate with one another.

Further illustrating this emphasis on collaboration, some government decisions reflect the same strategy.

For example, the decision to overturn Pope Francis’s mandate that all Vatican investments must pass through the IOR (Institute for the Works of Religion, the so-called “Vatican bank”) with a chirograph that refers, precisely, to the principle of “mutual collaboration” between the dicasteries.

Leo XIV’s race against time to restore balance within the Vatican led the various institutions to collaborate.

In this rebalancing, recall the Pope’s February 1st audience with the Gentlemen of His Holiness, antechamber attendants, and pontifical sedan bearers. Also, his May 24, 2025, reminder to Curia and governorate staff: “Popes pass, the Curia remains.”

The selection of an aide-de-chambre from the Swiss Guard is only the latest in a series of small steps taken by Leo XIV toward harmonizing the ministries.

These are not bureaucratic measures.

Instead, they build community life in which mistrust between the corps is overcome through personal understanding and community work.

Ultimately, the Pope remains a friar and deeply believes in community life. So much so that he often dines in the First Loggia with the Augustinians who tend the Sacristy of St. Peter’s, maintaining this strong yet discreet bond with his community, which also serves as a direct link with reality.

The Pope’s upcoming international trips will tell us more. Pope Francis never brought secretaries with him, but only an aide de chambre, who essentially acted as a “bag carrier.” Leo XIV could, and should, bring one of his secretaries with him, in particular Monsignor Edgard Rimaycuna, the first secretary, thus restoring a sort of normality. The secretary will act as a filter for the Pope, supporting him in meetings and accompanying him at all times.

No longer a Pope in sole command, Leo XIV now relies on the people he works with.

He maintained a clear profile in his appointments. Visible and important appointments follow a criterion: they seek discreet people, skilled in their work, and loyal to the institution. They do not need to be considered friends of the Pope; they only need to be competent. For example, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops, fits this profile. Another example could be Rajic, if confirmed as Prefect of the Papal Household or even, as also rumored, as sostituto.

At the international level, a similar choice was Ronald Hicks as Archbishop of New York.

Leo XIV, however, has also called upon people he knew he could fully trust. One was Father Edgard Rimaycuna, who had no experience in the Curia. Another was Father Marco Billeri, his second secretary, who was recommended by Bishop Paccosi of San Miniato. Leo XIV had been a missionary in Peru with Bishop Paccosi. There was also a whole world of similar people around the Pope, from his Peruvian cook to the Augustinians in the sacristy.

This is how Leo XIV works to restore balance and create a new communion, as he outlined from the start of his pontificate. After the disruptive pontificate of Pope Francis, who widened the divide and focused on the figure of the Pope, now is the time to find a new communion. All the dicasteries will likely conform to this choice.

There may be further small adjustments to the reform of the Curia to advance this plan before the “big changes” come, but – seen in the proper light – the little changes are already pretty big.