Pope Leo XIV has thanked Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re for his service as Dean of the College of Cardinals in a letter dated October 11 and released this Monday by the Holy See Press Office. The Pope writes after accepting the resignation of the Italian cardinal, 92 years old, who had held the position since January 2020 and now becomes Dean Emeritus.
In the letter, the Pontiff reviews the long career of Re in the Roman Curia, particularly alongside Saint John Paul II. The Polish Pope appointed him Advisor to the Secretariat of State, Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and Substitute, and later placed him at the head of that dicastery and created him cardinal. Leo XIV describes him as one of the “most well-known and esteemed” servants of the Holy See. He highlights his fidelity to the teachings of the Church and his love for the Successor of Peter, and mentions, among the celebrations he presided over as Dean, the funeral of Pope Francis.
The succession is already effective. On October 8, the Pope approved the election of Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as the new Dean, carried out by the cardinals of the order of bishops. For the first time since 2007, the College is once again presided over by a cardinal elector, a relevant fact because the Dean is responsible for convening the conclave and presiding over the College during the vacant see. Re retains the title of the suburban church of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto.
Full text of the letter
InfoVaticana translation of the original Italian.
To His Eminence Cardinal
GIOVANNI BATTISTA RE
Dean Emeritus of the College of Cardinals
Venerable and dear Brother:
Having accepted your resignation from the office of Dean of the College of Cardinals, which you have carried out in an outstanding manner for more than six years, I wish to express my gratitude for the service rendered by Your Eminence, which has been for me and for all an edifying testimony of love for the Church and for the Pope.
Called already as a young priest to the service of the Holy See, you became, through the numerous and delicate assignments in the Roman Curia, a trusted collaborator of the Supreme Pontiffs, particularly of Saint John Paul II, who wished to appoint you first as Advisor to the Secretariat of State, then Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and later Substitute of the Secretariat of State.
At the side of the Pope of the Great Jubilee of the year 2000, you effectively directed and coordinated the multiple offices placed at the service of his magisterium and his pastoral mission, and accompanied him on a memorable series of apostolic journeys throughout Italy and the world. At the beginning of the new millennium, the Holy Pontiff placed you at the head of the Congregation for Bishops and created you Cardinal.
This long journey has allowed you to acquire an extraordinary knowledge of the universal Church, enriched by countless personal relationships. I believe I am not mistaken in saying that you, Eminence, have been and are one of the most well-known and esteemed servants of the Holy See. Your open, cordial and frank style, as well as your ability to face situations and problems with wisdom and practical sense, always faithful to the teachings of the Church and with great love for the Successor of Peter, have contributed greatly to this.
In the office of Dean of the College of Cardinals, your figure has become even more visible, and many, within the People of God and also outside it, have appreciated your priestly testimony in the Eucharistic celebrations you have presided over, the last of them on the occasion of the funeral of Pope Francis.
Dear and venerable Brother, we have always admired in you the vigor of faith and zeal in the ministry, so well united to the industriousness inherited from your family roots and your beloved Val Camonica. But the motto you chose when you were elevated to the episcopate, Virtus ex alto, attests to how much you have always known how to invoke and receive the strength of the Lord and His Grace, and this increases the esteem and gratitude of those who know you.
With these sentiments, I assure you of my remembrance in prayer, which I entrust to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, and from my heart I renew my Blessing, which I gladly extend to your family members and loved ones.
Vatican, October 11, 2026
LEO PP. XIV