Archbishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, former secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education and archivist emeritus of the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Titular Archbishop of Volturnum, is an Italian prelate, theologian, and internationally recognized leader in Catholic education whose ministry has been dedicated to advancing the integral formation of the human person through faith, learning, and service.
Born in Brescia, Italy, he was ordained a priest in 1975 for the Diocese of Brescia. He earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Lateran University and a licentiate in social sciences from the Pontifical Gregorian University. Early in his ministry, he combined pastoral work with teaching and leadership roles in Catholic education, including service in diocesan schools and theological institutes, and the founding of the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.
From 1995 to 2002, he served as director of the National Office for Education, Schools, and Universities of the Italian Episcopal Conference, helping to shape the Church’s educational mission at a national level. In 2002, he entered Vatican service as undersecretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, later becoming secretary in 2012 and receiving episcopal ordination from Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.
Over two decades at the Holy See, Archbishop Zani contributed significantly to global Catholic education, working with bishops’ conferences, universities, and international organizations including UNESCO. His work consistently emphasized education as a pathway to human dignity, peace, and social development.
He has also led initiatives supporting educational development and Catholic social teaching, including the founding of SFERA-Onlus and the “Casa della Pace” educational project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as co-founding the international foundation “Religions and Society” to promote educational collaboration in Africa.
From 2022 to 2025, he served as archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church. He currently serves as president of a commission established by Pope Leo XIV to revise the statutes of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
Archbishop Zani is the author of numerous works on education and Catholic social teaching and remains a leading voice in the Church on education as a tool for human formation, peace, and the common good.