Filippo Iannone


Filippo Iannone is a prelate of the Catholic Church who has been President of the President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since April 2018. He has been a bishop since 2001.

Education and early career

Iannone was born both within the secular Province of Naples and the religious Archdiocese of Naples. On 1 August 1976, for his liturgical study, he entered the Carmelites. He was initiated into the San Martino ai Monti in Rome and became a student at the Santa Maria del Carmine. He later studied at the San Luigi Papal Theological Seminary of Southern Italy, towards his baccalaureate in theology, and at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he gained a Doctor of both laws. After a course of study at the Roman Rota, he gained the title of avvocato rotale.
He took his vows on 1 October 1977 and solemnised them on 15 October 1980. On 26 June 1982 he passed his exams to be ordinated as presbyter to Bishop Antonio Ambrosanio.
After his ordination, he worked for the regional Treasury Commissioner from 1985 to 1988; and nationally from 1988 to 1991; from 1988 to 1994 he was President of the Commission for the Revision of the Constitution. Under the Archdiocese of Naples he held the position of Defender of the Faith in the Regional Court, from 1987 to 1990; and Judicial vicar at the Naples Diocese Trubinal from 1990 to 1994; episcopal vicar for the IVth parish from 1994 to 1996, and provicario generale from 1996 to 2001.

Episcopal ministry

On 12 April 2001, Iannone was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Naples and titular bishop of Nebbi in Algeria by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal ordination on 26 May 2001 from Cardinal Michele Giordano. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest Italian bishop. As part of the reorganisation of the Archdiocese of Naples undertaken by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, he was nominated as Vicar General, co-ordinating with the clergy and moderator curiae) in matters of Church administration.
On 19 June 2009 Pope Benedict XVI named him Bishop of the Diocese of Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo. He succeeded to the post the next September.
On 31 January 2012 Benedict named him vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome, elevating him to the rank of archbishop.
As of December 2015, he is a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, a consultant to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, a member of the Council for Legal Affairs of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and president of the Education and Culture Committee of the Lazio episcopal region.
From November 2017 to April 2018 he served as adjunct secretary of Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. On 7 April 2018 Pope Francis named Iannone President of that body.