The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received the request for the appointment of a new apostolic nuncio to the Republic of Italy and San Marino. According to reports from Vatican expert Marco Tosatti and Specola, the name proposed by the Holy See would be that of Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, current Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.
The eventual appointment comes at a time of strong internal tension in the Roman Curia and has provoked particularly harsh reactions from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former nuncio to the United States and currently excommunicated following his formal break with the Holy See, who has publicly lashed out against Peña Parra.
A historic change in the Italian Nunciature
The current nuncio, Petar Rajič, had succeeded Emil Paul Tscherrig, the first non-Italian nuncio after the Concordat. According to Specola, Tscherrig’s tenure left a controversial balance, marked by disputed episcopal decisions and internal criticisms about the functioning of the Nunciature.
Rajič’s arrival also did not bring the expected change in some Italian ecclesial sectors. He is reproached for a management considered passive in the face of delicate issues and a lack of deep knowledge of the Italian ecclesial reality. It is in this context that the possible arrival of Peña Parra at Via Po, the seat of the pontifical diplomatic representation, is now framed.
For the moment, the appointment requires the formal approval of the Italian Government before becoming official.
Peña Parra, key figure in the Secretariat of State
Peña Parra has held the position of Substitute for General Affairs since 2018, a strategic role within the Vatican organizational structure through which most ordinary government matters pass. Various sources cited by Specola emphasize that the effective power of the Substitute sometimes surpasses that of the Secretary of State himself, by concentrating the daily management of files and decisions.
His name has been linked in recent years to controversies related to internal management and the so-called Sloane Avenue case, although he remained in the position with Francis’s favor.
According to the published information, Pope Leo XIV would have presented several destination proposals to the Venezuelan prelate in recent months, as part of a reorganization of responsibilities in the Curia. Two of them would have been rejected, while the option of the Nunciature in Italy would represent a compromise solution that would allow his continued presence in Rome.
Frontal attack by Viganò
The announcement has been accompanied by a «very harsh attack,» in the words of Marco Tosatti, from Viganò. The former nuncio, who in recent years has maintained an open confrontational stance with the Holy See, has questioned the suitability of Peña Parra to represent the Vatican in a country of special historical and political relevance.
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Internal reorganization after the election of Leo XIV
The published information also describes a climate of readjustment in the Secretariat of State following the election of Leo XIV. The arrival of a pontiff unfamiliar with certain internal dynamics would have generated movements and adjustments at various levels of responsibility.
In this context, the eventual transfer of Peña Parra to the Italian Nunciature would be interpreted by some observers as one more piece in a broader process of redefining the balance of power in the Roman Curia, in addition to a degradation of his position.
For the moment, the Holy See awaits the official response from the Italian authorities to formalize the appointment.