Pope Francis named Gleison de Paula Souza, a Brazilian layman who teaches religion in an Italian high school, as the second-ranking official of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which is led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

De Paula Souza, a husband and father of two, succeeds Father Alexandre Awi Mello, a Brazilian priest who was elected superior general of the Schoenstatt Fathers.

De Paula Souza was a member of the Sons of Divine Providence from 2005 to 2016. He studied for the priesthood in Rome and left the community before his ordination.