Pope Leo XIV is gradually strengthening his closest circle. His most trusted aide is Father Edgar, his personal secretary, who has been seen with the pope at practically all of his public appearances.
This comes as no surprise. When Prevost was in Peru, the two spent a great deal of time together. Father Edgar was by his side during those years, even when the pope was later made a cardinal and transferred to Rome as prefect.
Now, a new name joins the team. Marco Billeri, an Italian priest and computer engineer, and an expert in canon law, just like Pope Leo. He even served as a judge at a regional tribunal in Tuscany.
The role of a pope’s personal secretaries is extremely important, and there are clear examples of that relationship.
One of the first names that comes to mind is Georg Gänswein, who is remembered for always being at Pope Benedict XVI's side, even before he became pope.
He remained with him until the very end. In fact, he was among the last to see the German pontiff, placing the white veil over him before the closing of his coffin.
If we look a bit further back, we can remember the Polish prelate Dziwisz, whom Pope Benedict later made a cardinal.
He served as the personal secretary of Pope Saint John Paul II for nearly 40 years. The cardinal began with him in Krakow and stayed by his side until the end of the pontiff’s life.
However, the unwritten rule of “permanent secretaries” changed under Pope Francis. The Argentine pope wanted them to rotate every five years.
In his final years, he had three secretaries at the same time, although one face stood out. It was that of Juan Cruz Villalón, the Argentine priest who was by Pope Francis's side during his last weeks with utmost discretion. He was seen several times helping with his wheelchair and even during his final walk on Easter Sunday, just one day before he passed.
Dziwisz, Gänswein, Juan Cruz, Edgar, and now Marco Billeri are key figures who join the long list of personal secretaries, and therefore, the list of men who have the strictest trust of the successor's of Peter.
Trans. VL
