Pope Leo XIV Appoints New Theological Commission Members
The body rises to 30 members, adding more voices from the Global South and the laity to study Tradition and the transmission of faith.
Pope Leo XIV on October 19, 2026, appointed 24 new members to the International Theological Commission and renewed the mandates of six previous members for the 2026–2031 term. The commission now numbers 30 theologians, up from 28. Msgr. Piero Coda was confirmed as secretary general.
The commission assists the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on major doctrinal questions. Members serve five-year terms and do not relocate to Rome. Its next plenary session is set for November 23–27.
Broader Global and Lay Representation
Representation from the Global South increased. Asia and Africa each gained one seat, rising to four members. South America gained one seat, to five. Europe holds 13 members, down from 14. North America has three and Australia one.
Lay members doubled to eight—five laywomen and three laymen—while the total number of women rose from five to eight. The membership includes 16 priests and one religious sister.
New appointees include Msgr. Carlo Dell'Osso, Msgr. Lubomír Žák, Fr. Khaled Emmanuel Anatolios of the University of Notre Dame, Fr. Ángel Cordovilla Pérez, Fr. Tiago de Fraga Gomes, Fr. Gilbert De Lima, Fr. Clarence Devadass, and Frs. Fabricio Leonel Forcat and Jorge Alejandro Scampini of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. Renewed members include Fr. Alberto Cozzi, Fr. Simon Francis Gaine, Prof. Reinhard Hütter, Sr. Isabell Naumann, and Sr. Josee Ngalula.
Tradition and the Transmission of Faith
Pope Paul VI established the commission in 1969. Pope John Paul II promulgated its statutes in 1982. It has published 33 documents and draws members from different schools, nations, states of life, and charisms.
Two subcommissions will guide the new term. The first will address the nature of the Church's Tradition, clarifying what belongs to it and drawing on biblical, patristic, historical, philosophical, scientific, and magisterial sources from the time of Paul VI onward. The second will examine the transmission of the faith across cultures, including inculturation, popular piety, and cultural expressions of Catholic life.
The topics emerged from dialogue between Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Pope Leo XIV.