He has worked as a parish priest for the Diocese of Rome, a religion teacher and served as spiritual director for Rome's major seminary. He is also a knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

Pope Francis made him an auxiliary bishop of Rome in 2015 and gave him particular responsibility to care for the continuing education of priests.

Ordaining him a bishop in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the pope told him to remember how his father went to great lengths to find a parish that offered Mass without a homily.

"Let your words be simple so that everyone can understand. Don't give long homilies," the pope had said.

"Homilies should be the transmission of God's grace. Simple, so that everyone can understand them and everyone will want to become a better person," Pope Francis had told the new bishop.

The pope had chosen the then-monsignor to lead the weeklong Lenten meditations for the pope and the Roman Curia in 2014.

Meeting in early March with the 36 pastors who serve as prefects in the Diocese of Rome, Pope Francis asked them to consult with their fellow priests and parishioners and send him suggestions for Cardinal Vallini's successor. He asked that by April 12 they send a report on what they saw as the key needs of the diocese, the qualities needed in the vicar and possible names.

The papal vicar governs the Diocese of Rome in the name of the pope; he exercises most of the powers of a local bishop and presides over a vicariate with most of the usual offices found in the chancery of a large archdiocese, including offices for personnel, religious education and ecumenism.