SAN FRANCISCO — Pope Leo XIV on July 25, 2026, appointed Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco as a member of the Supreme Apostolic Signatura, the Catholic Church’s highest judicial tribunal in Rome.

The elevation marks a return to Vatican legal service for Cordileone, whose journey in ministry has spanned from a small border parish in Calexico—where he was known as Father Sam—to the administrative heart of the global Church.

Despite his new canonical responsibilities at the Vatican, Cordileone will remain in Northern California as the shepherd of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, a role he has held since 2012.

“I receive this responsibility with a profound sense of stewardship, recognizing that every office in the Church is entrusted for the service of Christ, His people, and the mission of the Gospel,” Cordileone said in a statement released following the Vatican announcement. “Justice in the Church is never merely legal; it is ordered toward the salvation of souls, the protection of the rights of the faithful, and the strengthening of ecclesial communion.”

Rooted in border ministry

For Catholics in Southern California’s Imperial Valley, Cordileone’s appointment highlights a trajectory deeply connected to the local community. In 1991, fresh off earning his doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, the San Diego native was assigned as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Calexico—just four blocks from the U.S.–Mexico border.

His four years serving the working-class, binational parish in Calexico forged a pastoral foundation centered on neighborhood ministry, community trust, and direct care for families navigating border life. Those who knew him during his time in Calexico remember a young priest dedicated to his flock while applying his legal acumen to parish governance.

That blend of hands-on pastoral work and canonical expertise led to his first call to Rome in 1995, where he served seven years as an assistant at the Apostolic Signatura before returning to California to serve as Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, Bishop of Oakland, and eventually Metropolitan Archbishop of San Francisco.

Balancing local ministry and global justice

The Supreme Apostolic Signatura functions as the Church’s Supreme Court, overseeing the proper administration of canonical justice, hearing appeals against administrative acts, and supervising lower ecclesiastical tribunals worldwide.

In his statement, Cordileone emphasized that his primary commitment remains with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, particularly as the archdiocese marks the 800th anniversary of the Transitus (passing) of its patron, St. Francis of Assisi.

“This appointment does not involve a reassignment from the Archdiocese of San Francisco or require me to relocate to Rome,” Cordileone said in a statement. “My primary vocation remains that of shepherd of this archdiocese, and I will continue to devote myself to serving our priests, deacons, religious, and parishioners while fulfilling the additional responsibilities entrusted to me by the Holy Father.”

Born in San Diego in 1956 to a commercial fishing family with roots in Sicily, Cordileone was ordained to the priesthood in 1982. Over his four-decade career, he has served on numerous committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), including those focused on canonical affairs, governance, and racism.