Paolo Rudelli (born 16 July 1970) is an Italian Catholic archbishop and former diplomat of the Holy See who has served as the Substitute for General Affairs for the Secretariat of State of the Holy See since March 2026.
Biography Rudelli was born on 16 July 1970 in Gazzaniga in Lombardy, Italy. He comes from Gandino in the Province of Bergamo. He entered the local seminary as a teenager and completed his preparation for the priesthood at the major seminary of the Diocese of Rome. On 10 June 1995, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Bergamo. He continued his theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he received a doctoral degree in moral theology and a licentiate in canon law.
Diplomatic career In 1998, Rudelli began his preparation for the diplomatic service at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. On 1 July 2001, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He worked in the nunciatures in Ecuador (2001–2003) and Poland (2003–2006) and then in the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. He also served as Bursar of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy from 2009 to 2014. While in Rome he served as secretary to Cardinal Leonardo Sandri.
On 20 September 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, just a month before Francis visited Strasbourg.
On 3 September 2019, Pope Francis named him a titular archbishop and gave him the title of apostolic nuncio. He was replaced in Strasbourg on 21 September 2019 by Marco Ganci. Rudelli received his episcopal consecration from Pope Francis on 4 October. On 25 January 2020, Pope Francis named him Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe.
On 19 July 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as apostolic nuncio to Colombia.
On 30 March 2026, Pope Leo XIV named him Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, succeeding Edgar Peña Parra. He took office on 8 April. His appointment was seen as demonstrating that Parolin still has significant influence on decisions and enjoys the trust of Leo XIV.
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