Bishop Francesco Cavina wearing a mitre and purple vestments

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Francesco Cavina as the new Apostolic Visitor for the parish of Medjugorje, succeeding Archbishop Aldo Cavalli.

The appointment was announced on 31 October 2026 by the Holy See Press Office and reported by Vatican News. Bishop Cavina, the Bishop Emeritus of Carpi in Italy, has been appointed for an indefinite period, at the discretion of the Holy See.

Often described as the Pope’s envoy to Medjugorje, his formal title is Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish. Pope Leo accepted Archbishop Cavalli’s resignation from that office. Cavalli, who turned 80 on 18 October, had served since his appointment by Pope Francis in November 2021, following Archbishop Henryk Hoser.

A canon lawyer with Vatican diplomatic experience

Bishop Cavina, 71, was born in Faenza and ordained a priest in 1980. He holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. His diocesan biography records service as a defender of the bond and judge at the ecclesiastical tribunal in Bologna, as well as diocesan chancellor.

From 1996 to 2011, he served as an official in the Section for Relations with States of the Holy See’s Secretariat of State, the Vatican’s foreign-affairs section. His background therefore includes 15 years in Vatican diplomatic service. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Carpi in November 2011; he was consecrated in January 2012 and led the diocese until 2019.

Bishop Cavina was named as the preacher for the 8–14 February 2026 retreat organised by Amicizia Sacerdotale Summorum Pontificum – BXVI at Casa Divin Maestro in Ariccia, near Rome.

Does Bishop Cavina believe in Medjugorje?

At the time of publication, we have not found a verified public statement in which Bishop Cavina explicitly accepts or rejects the reported apparitions, or reliable confirmation of a previous visit to Medjugorje. Beyond his new appointment, the only earlier indirect connection we could verify is his work with Radio Maria. The station gives prominent coverage to Medjugorje, including the reported messages and commentaries by its director, Fr Livio Fanzaga, a longstanding supporter of the apparitions and a friend of several of the visionaries.