Pope Leo XIV appoints a Mexican to an important position in the Vatican

José Nahúm Jairo Salas Castañeda , originally from Durango, was appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the new coordinator of apostolic trips, a key position in the organization of the Pontiff's international tours.

The announcement was confirmed by the Vatican on June 20. Until now, Bishop Salas Castañeda worked in the General Affairs Section of the Secretariat of State, where he headed the Church's Central Statistics Office.

Salas was born on July 11, 1978, in Santa Clara, Durango . He was ordained a priest in 2008 for the Archdiocese of Durango and subsequently studied Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

He joined the Holy See's diplomatic service in 2013, serving in the apostolic nunciatures of Burundi, Iraq, and Hungary. Since 2023, he has been working at the Vatican, participating in the digitization of the Pontifical Yearbook.

The appointment comes at a key moment: Pope Leo XIV is preparing to travel to Turkey for the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, scheduled for later this year. This will be Bishop Salas's first major international assignment in this new role.

The Mexican priest replaces Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, who was recently appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

With this move, Salas Castañeda becomes the first Mexican to head papal travel logistics, a role that demands precision, diplomatic vision, and great pastoral sensitivity.