Cardinal Mauro Gambetti appointed Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Mauro Gambetti as the new Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto. Gambetti will step down from his current roles at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he has served as archpriest since 2021.

Gambetti succeeds Bruno Forte, who is retiring after exceeding the standard retirement age for bishops. Forte, who has led the diocese since 2004, stated that Gambetti possesses both academic training and pastoral experience necessary to provide new momentum to the region's spiritual work.

This appointment is part of a broader restructuring of ecclesiastical roles within the Vatican. The move leaves several high-profile positions within the Basilica vacant and coincides with a trend of increasing female presence in decision-making roles within the Church hierarchy.