Pope Leo XIV names Andrea Roberto Ciucci chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, strengthening Vatican reflection on AI and human dignity.
Newsroom (14/04/2026 Gaudium Press ) In one of his most intellectually forward appointments, Pope Leo XIV has named Milanese priest Andrea Roberto Ciucci as the new chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life. The move brings into the Vatican’s inner circle a scholar whose expertise in artificial intelligence ethics signals a deepening commitment by the pontiff to addressing the moral dimensions of emerging technologies.
Ciucci, born in Milan in 1967, will combine his new duties with his ongoing role as secretary general of the Vatican’s RenAIssance Foundation for the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. The foundation’s work situates reflection on new technologies and their effects on human existence at the heart of Vatican discourse on life, family, and creation.
In announcing the appointment, the Pontifical Academy for Life emphasized that it comes “at a time of renewed commitment to promoting the protection and dignity of human life, in dialogue with the scientific and academic world.”
A Line of Succession in Continuity
Ciucci succeeds Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, who served as chancellor for 14 years, from 2011 until his elevation to the presidency of the Academy in May 2025, following the retirement of Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia. Pegoraro’s recent appointment as bishop was confirmed by Pope Leo XIV in March, underscoring the importance of the Academy within the Church’s contemporary mission.
This appointment continues a curious Vatican tradition: since its founding in 1994, each of the Academy’s three chancellors—Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, Pegoraro, and now Ciucci—has later gone on to its presidency, each appointed by a different pope than his predecessor.
The Academy operates under new statutes promulgated by Leo XIV in February 2026, which define the chancellor as empowered to represent the institution on behalf of the president and to collaborate in its overall direction and governance.
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Human Life
Ciucci’s work bridges theology, philosophy, and technology. His cultural initiatives and academic output center on how artificial intelligence and digital transformation affect families, youth, education, and religious practice. Through the RenAIssance Foundation, Ciucci has helped shape the Vatican’s evolving stance on the ethical frontiers of artificial intelligence, advocating for an “integral humanism” that places human dignity at the core of digital innovation.
Ordained in 1992 for the Archdiocese of Milan, Ciucci holds a licentiate in theology from the Faculty of Theology of Northern Italy, a licentiate in philosophy from the State University of Milan, and a doctorate in philosophy from the Sant’Anselmo Athenaeum in Rome. His previous service to the Church includes work at the Pontifical Council for the Family (2012–2016) and leadership within the Academy’s Secretariat, overseeing institutional relations and cultural initiatives.
In academia, he lectures at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Rome, as well as at the Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences in Florence and Bologna. He is also a member of the scientific committee of the International Center for Family Studies (CISF) and has three decades of experience in family and youth ministry, especially through the Scouting movement.
“An Explosion of Life”
Responding to the announcement, Ciucci described his appointment through a spiritual lens. Quoting the day’s Gospel reading on the miraculous catch of fish, he said, “It is an explosion of life. It speaks of an overflowing catch: there is food, there is life for everyone.”
Expressing gratitude to Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and his predecessors Renzo Pegoraro and Vincenzo Paglia, Ciucci declared: “Their esteem asks me today to serve with even greater passion and intelligence the lives of men and women of today and tomorrow, especially in the world of scientific and academic research.”
Leo XIV’s Vision for the Academy
The Pontifical Academy for Life, founded by Saint John Paul II in 1994 through the motu proprio Vitae Mysterium, has always stood at the intersection of theology, science, and ethics. Under Pope Leo XIV, the Academy has become a focal point of the Vatican’s engagement with questions about technology and life.
The pope’s decision to appoint Pegoraro as president and to enact new statutes earlier this year shows sustained papal attention to strengthening the Academy’s impact. By bringing a scholar of artificial intelligence like Ciucci into its highest ranks, Leo XIV underscores a central theme of his pontificate: that human dignity must guide technological progress.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Infocatholica
Related Images:
