“Pope Francis called Fr Gonzalo Aemilius, of the Montevideo clergy, in Uruguay as his personal secretary.”

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, made this declaration yesterday, Sunday, January 27, 2020.

Gonzalo, Bruni noted, was born on September 18, 1979,  ordained a priest on May 6, 2006, and has a doctorate in theology. ”

The secretary does not come from the Roman Curia, but is one who is used to being among the people, working with youth on the street and the marginalized.

He takes the place of Argentinian priest, Msgr. Fabian Pedacchio, who served as secretary from 2013 to 2019, and recently returned entirely to working within the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops.

Aemilius joins along with Francis’ other particular secretary, Egyptian Father Yoannis Lahzi Gaid.

According to the Italian blog the IlSismografo, on 17 March 2013, within a few days of becoming Pope, Pope Francis presented Father Gonzalo, now his personal secretary, to the faithful of the parish of Sant’Anna in the Vatican.

“There are some who are not parishioners: these Argentine priests, one is my auxiliary bishop, but for today they will be parishioners. But I want to introduce you to a priest who comes from afar, he has come, a priest who has been working with street kids for a long time, with drug addicts. He opened a school for them, he did many things to make Jesus known, and all these street boys and girls today work with the study they have done, have work skills, believe and love Jesus.”

“I ask you, Gonzalo,” Francis said, “come to greet the people.”

“Pray for him,” the Pope said, adding: “He works in Uruguay, he is the founder of the Jubilar Juan Pablo II High School: he does this job. I don’t know how he got here today: I will know!”

“Thank you. Pray for him,” Pope Francis concluded.

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