Pope Leo XIV has appointed Italian Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa and Salesian Sister Elena Massimi, a professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, as the new undersecretaries of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
The appointments mark a leadership change at the body responsible for overseeing the Catholic Church's synodal process. They follow the departure of Sister Nathalie Becquart, who had served as undersecretary since February 2021.
In recent years, Becquart became one of the most prominent figures in the synodal process initiated by Pope Francis and continued by Leo XIV. She was also the first woman to have voting rights at an assembly of the Synod of Bishops, a milestone in the Church's recent history.
A Jesuit deeply involved in the synodal process
Costa, the new undersecretary, was born in Genoa in 1967 and entered the Society of Jesus in 1992. Trained as a sociologist, he earned a diploma of advanced studies in political and moral sociology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
Costa is well known in Italian Church circles. From 2010 to 2021, he served as editor of the journal Aggiornamenti Sociali, and from 2007 to 2025, he chaired the San Fedele Cultural Foundation in Milan.
He has been closely involved in the synodal process, serving as special secretary for both the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to young people in 2018, and the 16th Ordinary General Assembly on synodality, held from 2021 to 2024.
Until now, he had served as a consultor to the General Secretariat of the Synod.
A liturgy expert
Alongside Costa, the pope appointed Sister Elena Massimi, a member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, also known as the Salesian Sisters, as undersecretary.
Born in Rome in 1975, Massimi made her perpetual profession in 2009 and earned a doctorate in theology, specializing in pastoral liturgy, from the Santa Giustina Institute of Pastoral Liturgy in Padua, Italy, which is affiliated with the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm.
She currently teaches liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Salesian University, serves as president of the Italian Association of Professors and Scholars of Liturgy, and oversees music for the liturgy at the National Liturgical Office of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
Her appointment strengthens women's representation in one of the Roman Curia's most important bodies and brings recognized academic and pastoral expertise in liturgy to the synodal leadership team.
This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
