Giuseppe Sciacca (born 23 February 1955) is the current Secretary of the

Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal on any ecclesiastical matter). In addition, ...

since his appointment by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

on July 16, 2016, replacing the retiring Archbishop Frans Daneels. Previously, he had served as Adjunct Secretary of the

Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal on any ecclesiastical matter). In addition, ...

, since Saturday, 24 August 2013. Previously, he had been serving as the Secretary General of the Governatorate of Vatican City State since his appointment by

Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

on 3 September 2011.

Biography

Sciacca was born in

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. After having completed his initial theological studies in Catania he was sent to Rome for further studies. Sciacca is an

alumnus Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas ''Angelicum'' where he earned a degree in

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

. He later obtained a degree in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

from the

University of Catania The University of Catania () is a university located in Catania, Sicily. Founded in 1434, it is the oldest university in Sicily, the 13th oldest in Italy, and the 29th oldest in the world. With over 38,000 enrolled students, it is the largest uni ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

on 7 October 1978, belonging to the clergy of the

Diocese of Acireale The Diocese of Acireale () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Sicily. It has existed since 1844. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Catania. Bishops * Gerlando Maria Genuardi (1872–1907) * Giovanni Battista Arista (1907� ...

, in addition to pastoral ministry carried out in the Collegiate Church of ''St. Sebastiano'' in

Acireale Acireale (; , locally shortened to ''Jaci'' or ''Aci'') is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. It is home to ...

, has taught Philosophy and History at the State High Schools and canon law at the Theological Institute of Acireale. After being appointed as

defender of the Bond A defender of the bond ( or ''defensor matrimonii'') is a Catholic Church official whose duty is to defend the marriage bond in the procedure prescribed for the hearing of matrimonial causes which involve the validity or nullity of a marriage a ...

and

Promoter of Justice The law of Vatican City State consists of many forms, the most important of which is the canon law of the Catholic Church. The organs of state are governed by the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State. The Code of Penal Procedure governs tribunal ...

in the Diocesan and Regional Tribunals of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, has been appointed Judge at the same court in Palermo Regional Siculus. On 25 March 1999 he was appointed as a Prelate Auditor of the Tribunal of the

Roman Rota The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota (), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin Church members and the Eastern Catholic m ...

. Sciacca is a well-known scholar of the history of the liturgy and of the figure of Pius XII. But he is also a popular Latin scholar. On 18 February 2010, the remains of Cardinal Pompedda were reinterred in a specially constructed sarcophagus in the cathedral of Ozieri at the chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament. The requiem mass was celebrated at 5 p.m., presided by Bishop

Sergio Pintor Sergio Pintor (16 November 1937 – 26 December 2020) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate, who served as a Diocesan Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ozieri. Msgr Pintor had previously served as director of the CEI's office for the pasto ...

of Ozieri. At the end of the mass, Mgr Sciacca, judge of the

and a long time collaborator of Cardinal Pompedda, read a special message sent for the occasion by Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, S.D.B., secretary of State, in the name of Pope Benedict XVI. On 3 September 2011 he was appointed

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Victoriana'' and at the same time Secretary-General of the Governatorate of Vatican City State. In this new role he will assist incoming president,

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Giuseppe Bertello Giuseppe Bertello (born 1 October 1942) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, a cardinal since 2012, who was President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State from Octob ...

in charge of many of the City State’s departments such as its police, observatory, museums, post office and tourist information service. On 8 October 2011, Sciacca received episcopal consecration from Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, SDB along with

Barthélemy Adoukonou Barthélemy Adoukonou (born 24 August 1942) is a Beninese Catholic bishop. He is the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 December 2009. He was previously Secretary-General both of the C ...

, secretary of the

Pontifical Council for Culture The Pontifical Council for Culture () was a dicastery of the Roman Curia charged with fostering the relationship of the Catholic Church with different cultures. It was erected by Pope John Paul II on 20 May 1982 and in 1993 he merged the Po ...

. On 13 February 2013, two days after the Pope announced his intention to resign, Pope Benedict appointed Bishop Sciacca to the post of Auditor General of

Apostolic Camera The Apostolic Camera (), formerly known as the was an office in the Roman Curia. It was the central board of finance in the papal administrative system and at one time was of great importance in the government of the States of the Church and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sciacca, Giuseppe Living people 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic titular bishops Pontifical Lateran University alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni 1955 births Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI