Pope appoints Filipino priest as undersecretary of Vatican dicastery

Pope Francis on Thursday appointed a Filipino priest as the new undersecretary of a section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization. The new role is a promotion for Msgr. Erwin Jose Balagapo, who had been serving as head of office in the section “for the first evangelization and new particular churches” since July 2023.

The department is currently led by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, former archbishop of Manila, in his role as pro-prefect. Headed by Pope Francis, the dicastery is divided into two sections. The other section, for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World, is led by Archbishop Rino Fisichella as pro-prefect.



The Dicastery was established in 2022 by the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, replacing the former Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, also known as “Propaganda Fide.” Fisichella’s responsibilities include promoting evangelization, missionary discipleship, catechesis, and Christian social engagement in countries where Christianity is already well established. Tagle, on the other hand, oversees what has been known as the church’s mission territories.

Msgr. Balagapo, 53, hails from Sulat, a small town in Eastern Samar province. Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Palo in 1996, he has held several roles, including professor of canon law, head of ongoing formation for the clergy, judicial vicar, and chancellor of the archdiocese.

In Rome, he earned a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and a Licentiate in Moral Theology from the former Pontifical Institute “John Paul II.” As a canon lawyer, he has worked at the Vatican dicastery since 2015, following his advanced studies in Rome..