Pope Leo XIV on October 19 appointed 24 new members to the International Theological Commission and renewed the mandates of six previous members for the 2026–2031 term, expanding the body to 30 theologians, up from 28, according to cathonews. Msgr. Piero Coda was confirmed as secretary general. The commission, which assists the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on major doctrinal questions, will hold its next plenary session November 23–27.
The appointments noticeably shift the commission's geography toward the Global South. Asia and Africa each gained one seat, rising to four members apiece, while South America gained one seat to reach five, cathonews reports. 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 Fr. Khaled Emmanuel Anatolios of the University of Notre Dame, Msgr. Carlo Dell'Osso, Msgr. Lubomír Žák, 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, according to cathonews. The National Catholic Register notes that Notre Dame theologian Fr. Anatolios, a married Melkite Catholic priest, and Boston College professor Boyd Coolman are among the American-affiliated scholars named.
According to ACI Africa, sources at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith told EWTN News Español that the commission will be divided into two thematic subcommissions, with the first tasked with clarifying the meaning of Church Tradition — what Tradition with a capital T is, where it is found, and how it is determined that something belongs to it. Members serve five-year terms and do not relocate to Rome.
Photo: Diario de Madrid, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0