Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, Archbishop of Algiers, as a member of the Holy See’s Council for the Economy.
The appointment, announced on August 11, is for a five-year term. Cardinal Vesco is one of four cardinals newly named to the council, together with Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, Archbishop of Kraków; Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, SVD, Archbishop of Belgrade; and Cardinal Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa.
The Council for the Economy oversees the administrative and financial structures and activities of the Roman Curia, the institutions connected with the Holy See, and Vatican City State. It also approves the Holy See’s annual budget and consolidated financial statements before submitting them to the pope.
According to the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, the council carries out its work in light of the Church’s social doctrine and internationally recognized practices, seeking an administration that is both ethical and efficient.
Cardinal Vesco brings to the council a background in both law and Church governance. Born in Lyon, France, in 1962, he earned a degree in law and worked as a lawyer before entering the Order of Preachers in 1995. He made his first profession in 1996 and was ordained a priest in 2001.
After moving to Algeria, he served the Diocese of Oran as vicar general and diocesan bursar. He was later elected superior of the Dominican community in Tlemcen and, in 2011, Prior Provincial of the Province of France. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Oran in 2012, and Pope Francis named him Archbishop of Algiers in 2021. He was created cardinal by Pope Francis on December 7, 2024.
Pope Leo also appointed four lay experts to the council: Denis Duverne, Princess Gisela of Liechtenstein, Paolo Nusiner, and Elena Principato-Wettstein.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx was confirmed as coordinator of the council, while Professor Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof will continue as deputy coordinator. Several other members were also confirmed for new five-year terms.
This article was adapted and expanded from an original EWTN News wire report.
