The Pope’s Closest Aide Is a Millennial from Peru

The charismatic young priest’s close bond with Leo — from the villages of Peru to the halls of the Vatican — has already won him a following among the Church’s youth.

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In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing a series of essays offering an intimate portrait of Pope Leo XIV — his life and the people who know him best.

Today’s essay spotlights a fascinating figure in the pope’s orbit: his young personal secretary, Father Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga.

This week Pope Leo quietly elevated the 36-year-old Peruvian to Chaplain of His Holiness (making him a Monsignor), cementing Edgard’s standing in the papal household.

It’s a clear vote of confidence in an aide who has stood by Leo’s side for years. But it also reveals a lot about who Pope Leo XIV is and what he values in his collaborators.

As always, these long-form essays come from both deep research and a genuine love of helping readers understand this historic moment more fully — and are available exclusively to paid subscribers.

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Thank you, as always, for walking this road with me.Read on — and as always, thank you for walking this road with me.

A Bond Forged in Peru

Then-Bishop Robert F. Prevost (now Pope Leo XIV) with a young Fr. Edgard Rimaycuna Inga in Chiclayo, Peru.

Fr. Edgard’s journey to the heart of the Vatican begins in Chiclayo, on Peru’s northern coast. There, as a young seminarian, he first crossed paths with Bishop Robert Prevost, the local prelate who would one day become Leo XIV.

Their mentor-mentee rapport soon deepened into genuine friendship. Edgard was ordained a priest in 2014 and worked closely with Prevost in the diocese.

Seeing the priest’s talent and loyalty, Prevost sent him to Rome in 2017 for advanced studies in Scripture — even as Fr. Edgard continued serving as his diocesan secretary.

In early 2023, Rome called Bishop Prevost to higher service: Pope Francis appointed him to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops. Naturally, he brought Fr. Edgard along as his personal aide.

Leaving home was bittersweet for the 33-year-old priest.

“I leave Chiclayo with nostalgia, but with the comfort of knowing that a friend awaits me, with whom I will continue working for the good of the Church,” Edgard wrote in a farewell note.

It’s striking to hear a priest call his bishop “friend” so openly — a sign of the unique bond between these two men.

But if you understand the history of their relationship, it makes complete sense. Here’s what we know.

From Chiclayo to the Vatican