Pontifical Academy for Life

Il Santo Padre ha nominato Presidente della Pontificia Accademia per la Vita il Reverendo Monsignore Renzo Pegoraro, finora Cancelliere della medesima Accademia.

Vatican City - May 27, 2025.- “I thank Pope Leo XIV for appointing me as President of the Pontifical Academy for Life. The work carried out over these past years alongside H.E. Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia and previously with H.E. Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula has been both fascinating and stimulating, in line with the operational and thematic guidelines of the late Pope Francis.”

Thus reaffirms Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro, former Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to the Presidency of the institution established and founded by Saint John Paul II in 1994.

Looking ahead, Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro emphasizes his intention to “continue working along the lines of the themes and methodology developed in recent years, enhancing the specific expertise of our broad and distinguished international and interreligious group of Academicians. I particularly highlight the themes of Global Bioethics, dialogue with scientific disciplines through the transdisciplinary approach promoted by Pope Francis, artificial intelligence and biotechnologies, and the promotion of respect for and the dignity of human life in all its stages. It will also be important to further enhance the work of the entire staff at the Central Headquarters, now located in the Vatican’s San Calisto complex.”

This transition is the standard practice in the Roman Curia: upon reaching the age of 80, all appointments expire. For this occasion the Emeritus President, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, received a letter from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, in which “at the conclusion of the service entrusted to you as President of the Pontifical Academy for Life and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, the Holy Father expresses to Your Excellency his deep gratitude for having shared with Him the pastoral concern for the entire Church. Therefore, moved by sincere appreciation, the Roman Pontiff conveys his heartfelt thanks for the service you have rendered.”

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Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro (born in Padua in 1959) graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Padua in 1985. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Padua in 1989. He studied Philosophy and Theology in Padua and Rome, obtaining a Licentiate in Moral Theology and a Diploma from the Advanced Course in Bioethics. In 1993, he became Professor of Bioethics at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and Secretary General of the "Lanza Foundation" (Center for Advanced Studies in Ethics, Bioethics, and Environmental Ethics). Since 1998, he has been a member of the European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Healthcare (ESPMH), serving as its president from 2005 to 2007. Since 2000, he has been a Professor of Nursing Ethics at the “Bambino Gesù” Pediatric Hospital in Rome. He is a member of the European Association of Centres of Medical Ethics (EACME), of which he served as president from 2010 to 2013. He is also a member of the International Association for Education in Ethics (IAEE). In 2011, he was appointed Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life.