Pope Leo Appoints New Papal Almoner: What Does the Role Mean?

Vatican, Mar 13, 2026: Pope Leo XIV appointed Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA, as the new Papal Almoner and Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, conferring on him the dignity of Archbishop on Thursday. Archbishop Marín de San Martín had served as Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops since 2021.

The Papal Almoner is the Vatican official responsible for carrying out the Pope’s charitable initiatives, particularly assistance to the poor and those in need. As Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, the Papal Almoner distributes aid in the Pope’s name and coordinates charitable initiatives that express the Church’s concrete care for people facing hardship.

At the same time, the Pope named Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Łódź, his birthplace in Poland.

Cardinal Krajewski had served as the Papal Almoner since 2013, when Pope Francis entrusted him with the role and later created him Cardinal in 2018. With the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, he became Prefect of the newly instituted Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

Speaking to Vatican News, Cardinal Krajewski thanked God for his 28 years of service in the Vatican.

Recalling his appointment as Papal Almoner, he said Pope Francis had explained the mission to him during a two-hour conversation aboard the flight to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day 2013.

“He explained to me what I had to do as Almoner,” Cardinal Krajewski said. “He asked me to sleep next to the poor, to go out from the Vatican, and always, at the end of the day, to have the bank account empty because everything was destined for works of charity. But there is one thing that has always stayed with me that Francis told me: ‘If you don’t know what to do, always ask the Lord, and ask what He would do in your place.’”

During his tenure, the Cardinal carried out ten missions to Ukraine in the Pope’s name, personally driving ambulances and other vehicles loaded with emergency aid for the suffering population.

Asked about his appointment as Archbishop of Łódź, Cardinal Krajewski said Pope Leo asked him if he wished to bring the experiences gained at the heart of the universal Church to a local Church.

“I accepted willingly, because the good of the Church is born from closeness to the faithful,” he said. “My diocese is large; it has two and a half million inhabitants; I am ready to serve.”

Despite his years of service in the Vatican, Cardinal Krajewski expressed his desire to return to Poland and serve the Church in his homeland.

Courtesy: Vatican News