Pope Francis has a new master of ceremonies, Fr. Diego Ravelli, who has been working with the pope's official ceremonies since 2006.
Fr. Ravelli was previously a senior official in the Office of Papal Charities, where he began working in 1998.
FR. DIEGO RAVELLI
'The principal work of the Office of Papal Charities is to perform the charitable works on behalf of the Holy Father. Everyday our office receives letters from individuals and families and they are addressed directly to the Pope. They come to him offering their hearts and ask him for help.'
He is replacing Fr. Guido Marini, who coordinated his final Mass as master of ceremonies on Sunday for the opening of the Synod.
Fr. Guido Marini will assume a new role as bishop of Tortona near his native Genoa. He will be ordained a bishop by Pope Francis this Sunday.
Fr. Marini has coordinated papal liturgies since 2007, when he was made master of ceremonies by Pope Benedict XVI. He is one of the Church's leading experts on liturgy. Among the highlights of his tenure as master of ceremonies was his swift reaction to a thunderstorm which struck Madrid during World Youth Day in 2011, and during the conclave which elected Pope Francis.
Now this phrase, which restricts access to the conclave to the participating cardinals, will be spoken by Fr. Diego Ravelli.
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