Editing Pope (section)

=== Pastoral care of the Diocese of Rome ===
{{Main|Diocese of Rome}}
Although the pope is the diocesan bishop of Rome, he delegates most of the day-to-day work of leading the diocese to the [[cardinal vicar]], who assures direct episcopal oversight of the diocese's pastoral needs, not in his own name but in that of the pope. The most recent cardinal vicar was [[Angelo De Donatis]], who served from 2017 until 2024. The current cardinal vicar is [[Baldassare Reina]].

This does not mean that popes ignore their diocesan responsibilities. For example, when [[Pope John XXIII]] announced his intention to establish the [[Second Vatican Council]] in 1959, his reflections dealt first with the state of the Catholic Church within Rome before "broadening his gaze to the entire world".<ref>Pope John XXIII, [https://www.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/it/speeches/1959/documents/hf_j-xxiii_spe_19590125_annuncio.html Allocuzione del Santo Padre Giovanni XXIII con la quale Annuncia il Sinodo Romano, il Concilio Ecumenico e l'Aggiornamento del Codice di Diritto Canonico] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116132600/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_xxiii/speeches/1959/documents/hf_j-xxiii_spe_19590125_annuncio_it.html |date=16 January 2010 }}, in Italian, delivered on 25 January 1959, accessed on 17 April 2025</ref>