Fr. Mantovani Appointed Vatican Librarian

Fr. Mauro Mantovani Appointed Prefect of Vatican Apostolic Library

(ANS – Vatican City – February 14, 2023) – On February 14 the Holy See Press Office announced that the Holy Father has appointed Fr. Mauro Mantovani, SDB, hitherto dean of the School of Philosophy at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) in Rome and former rector magnificus at UPS, as prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library.

Mauro Mantovani was born on January 3, 1966, in Moncalieri, Italy, carried out his novitiate at the Salesian house Monteoliveto in Pinerolo, and made his first vows in the Salesian Society on September 8, 1986; he professed his perpetual vows in Castelnuovo Don Bosco on September 27, 1992, and was ordained a priest on September 12, 1994 in Turin.

He completed studies in philosophy and theology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata (degree in Philosophy, 1995); at the Salesian Pontifical University, baccalaureate and licentiate in philosophy; baccalaureate in theology at the Turin section, and licentiate in dogmatic theology; at the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Spain, a doctorate in philosophy and letters, 2006; and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, a doctorate in Thomistic theology, 2011.

Since 2007, he has been a full professor at the UPS in Rome, with research and publications concerning philosophical theology, philosophy of history, philosophical propaedeutics, and various border/crossover topics between theology, philosophy, and science. He is especially concerned with Thomism and the commentarial tradition on the Summa Theologiae (especially q. 2 of Pars I) of Thomas Aquinas in the authors of the "Second Scholasticism" and the so-called School of Salamanca.

For UPS he has held the following positions: dean of the School of Philosophy; dean of the School of Communications; vice rector; and rector magnificus for two terms (2015-2021).

In 2016 he was appointed president of the Conference of Rectors of the Roman Pontifical Universities and is currently a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas and of the Scientific Committee of the Holy See Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality on Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties.