Leonardo Sapienza

Leonardo Sapienza, RCJ (born 18 November 1952) is an Italian Catholic priest and author. Having joined the Rogationists in 1969 and been ordained a priest in 1978, he worked as a protocol officer within the Vatican. He has served as regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household since 4 August 2012.^[1][2][3] As second in command of the Prefecture of the Papal Household, he was acting prefect from 2020 until 2026; this covered both Georg Gänswein's leave of absence from the role and the official vacancy before the appointment of Petar Rajič.^[4]

In February 2012, he was made a Protonotary Apostolic de numero by Pope Benedict XVI.^[5][6]

Sapienza has written a number of books on Pope Paul VI.^[7]

Selected works

• Sapienza, Leonardo (2012). Paolo VI e la fede. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. ISBN 978-8820987466.
• Sapienza, Leonardo (2018). La barca di Paolo. Cinisello Balsamo (Milano): San Paolo Edizioni. ISBN 978-8892215054.
• Sapienza, Leonardo, ed. (2025). L'anno santo con Paolo VI. Città del Vaticano: Libreria editrice Vaticana. ISBN 978-8826609614.