(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 06.24.2025).- The Vatican has named a new figure to oversee the complex and symbolic machinery behind papal travel: Monsignor José Nahúm Jairo Salas Castañeda, a Mexican diplomat within the Holy See’s Secretariat of State. The appointment, confirmed by Pope Leo XIV, signals a fresh approach to the Vatican’s global engagements, as the pontiff considers his first international journeys.
Monsignor Salas Castañeda succeeds Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, an Indian prelate recently appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. Koovakad had long played a central role in shaping the logistics and spiritual tone of papal visits across continents. His successor arrives with firsthand experience of these demanding operations, having helped coordinate Pope Francis’s trips to Hungary in 2021 and again in 2023.
Born in the highlands of Santa Clara, Durango, in northern Mexico, on July 11, 1978, Salas Castañeda has steadily risen through the ranks of ecclesiastical diplomacy. Ordained in 2008 for the Archdiocese of Durango and trained in canon law at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University, he entered the Vatican diplomatic corps in 2013. Assignments in Burundi, Iraq, and Hungary honed his fluency in navigating both delicate political contexts and the subtle pastoral nuances that papal visits often require.
His new role arrives at a pivotal moment. Pope Leo XIV has not yet left Italy but is rumored to be considering a landmark visit to Turkey to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025 — a gesture of historical, theological, and ecumenical significance. Pope Francis had envisioned such a trip before his death, seeing it as an opportunity for renewed dialogue between East and West.
The legacy of papal travel — inaugurated with Paul VI’s brief but groundbreaking pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1964 — has become one of the most visible aspects of the modern papacy. John Paul II elevated it to a defining mission of his pontificate, making nearly 100 foreign visits and reimagining the Bishop of Rome as a truly global shepherd.
In recent years, however, papal trips have become more selective, often shaped by geopolitical urgency, interfaith outreach, or the pastoral needs of overlooked communities. The Vatican’s logistical operation for these visits is immense: coordinating not only with civil authorities but also local churches, religious leaders, security services, and media.
Salas Castañeda’s challenge will be to interpret Leo XIV’s priorities on a global stage. Known for his quiet precision and cross-cultural sensibilities, the Mexican embodies a new generation of Vatican diplomats shaped by post-Cold War realities and the complexities of a multipolar world. His background in countries marked by conflict and fragile stability — from Central Africa to the Middle East — suggests a preference for bridges over barriers.
Observers in Rome note that while Pope Leo XIV is expected to maintain the strong international profile of his predecessors, his style may favor smaller, more intimate encounters, rather than large-scale mega-events. “This is a moment not just to be seen, but to listen,” commented one Vatican official. “The Church’s credibility often lies in its presence among the forgotten.”
If Salas Castañeda’s track record is any indication, the next chapter of apostolic journeys may prioritize depth over spectacle. And while his name is little known to the public, his work will likely help shape the way the world encounters the new Pope — and how the Pope encounters the world.
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