Effective September 1, 2026, Sister Alessandra Smerilli, F.M.A., takes office as Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, having been appointed by Pope Leo XIV on June 30, 2026. An economist and Salesian religious, she had served as Secretary of the same Dicastery since 2021. She succeeds Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., who led the body from 2022. Taking office at the same time are Cardinal Fabio Baggio, appointed Pro-Prefect with a special mandate for the Laudato si' Higher Education Centre — which runs the Borgo Laudato si' at Castel Gandolfo, where on the same day the Pope celebrates the Mass for the Care of Creation — and Msgr. Jozef Barlaš, the new Secretary of the Dicastery.