The Holy See Press Office announces several appointments, including a new female president of the Permanent Commission for the Protection of the Historical and Artistic Monuments of the Holy See and a new Archbishop to lead the Military Ordinariate in Italy.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
The Holy See Press Office announced on Thursday two key appointments in the day’s ordinary bulletin at noon.
In particular, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, appointed Dr. Elvira Cajano, visiting Professor at the Faculty of History and Cultural Heritage of the Church at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, as the new President of the Permanent Commission for the Protection of Historical and Artistic Monuments of the Holy See.
Commission for Protection of Historical and Artistic Monuments of the Holy See
Born in Parma on May 29, 1955, Cajano would go on to earn a degree in Architecture and a Ph.D. in History, Drawing, and Restoration of Architecture from Rome’s La Sapienza University.
The expert, who has held a leadership role at the Superintendence for Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape of Umbria, has also taught Theory of Restoration and Conservation at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University and is the author of numerous publications.
In her new role, she succeeds Professor Francesco Buranelli, the former Director of the Vatican Museums, who, since January 2017, has served as President of the Commission.
Military Ordinariate of Italy
In other news, the Press Office announced that Archbishop Gian Franco Saba, who will turn 57 on September 20, has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new leader of the Military Ordinariate of Italy.
The Archbishop is being transferred from his role as Archbishop of Sassari to oversee the Ordinariate.
Archbishop Gian Franco Saba
After entering the diocesan seminary of Tempio–Ampurias and continuing his studies at the Pontifical Regional Seminary of Umbria in Assisi, Saba studied at the Theological Institute affiliated with the Faculty of Theology of Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University. Later, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sardinia.
Ordained a priest on October 23, 1993, Archbishop Saba went on to obtain a Doctorate in Theology and Patristic Sciences from the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome and would complete a course in “Communication Systems in International Relations” at the Faculty of Humanities of the University for Foreigners in Perugia.
The new leader of the Ordinariate has held numerous positions over the years, including six years as diocesan assistant to the youth of Catholic Action, and since 2001, served as director of the Diocesan Institute of Religious Sciences. From 2010 to 2015, he served as Rector of the Pontifical Regional Seminary of Sardinia in Cagliari, and for two years, until 2017, as parish priest of Saint Anthony Abbot in Sant’Antonio di Gallura.
In June of that same year, he was appointed Archbishop of Sassari and received episcopal consecration on September 13, 2017.
Archbishop Saba succeeds Archbishop Santo Marcianò, who served as Military Ordinary for Italy for twelve years.
