DON LUIGI PORTARULO, the famous Italian priest from the Vatican, has been sent by POPE FRANCIS on a mission to New York.

The Holy Father Pope Francis and Don Luigi Portarulo at Vatican

After having served Holy Mass at the Vatican for 3 popes, namely Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the young, handsome and modest priest Don Luigi, aged 36, considered a rising celebrity at the Vatican, is now in charge for the Italian community in New York and serves at St Patrick’s, the most important Catholic cathedral in America.

Pope Francis and Don Luigi Portarulo

DON LUIGI PORTARULO, on the Cover of the Special Print Edition of the New York Star Magazine TV & America’s News, March 28, 2025

The current President of Italy Sergio Mattarella and Don Luigi Portarulo

⬆️✅️ EXCLUSIVE VIDEO 🎬 📽 📸 🎞 🎥
“Hello everyone! I’m Don Luigi from St Patrick’s Cathedral. I am in charge with Italian community here in New York and thanks a lot to Andrei Rațiu and New York Star Magazine TV and see you soon!
GOD BLESS YOU!”
DON LUIGI PORTARULO ⚜️✝️

Don Luigi Portarulo and his friend Prince Andrei Rațiu, editor-in-chief for New York Star Magazine TV & America’s News

Don Luigi Portarulo and Prince Andrei Rațiu in St Patrick’s Old Chatedral Basilica, New York, March 2025

Hon. Antonio Tajani Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy🇮🇹 and Don Luigi Portarulo at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York

Pope Francis is always in contact with Don Luigi Portarulo

Photos & videos: (Don Luigi personal archive, ig, & Prince Andrei Rațiu)

Friday, March 28, 2025, New York City, USA 🇺🇸

SENIOR AUTHOR: PRINCE ANDREI RAȚIU

Sometimes people are overwhelmed by life’s problems. They see no way out of the trials that seem to squeeze them more and more into the vice of despair. And in their despair, people draw closer to God and the Church. This is how they learn from Christians that their problems can be solved if they turn to a priest with grace! And people search with great impatience, asking with bated breath where they can find such a priest with grace!

The Holy Spirit gives additional gifts to some priests, such as the gift of foresight, the gift of casting out demons, the gift of theology, the gift of meekness, the gift of humility, the gift of mercy, and so on. It is our right, as believers, to seek out experienced spiritual fathers to guide our lives and priests with holy lives as role models.

Today, not coincidentally, I present to you a priest with grace and a divine calling: LUIGI PORTARULO
Let’s find out together some interesting things about his life and rise in the Catholic Church.

After having served Holy Mass at the Vatican for 3 popes, namely Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the young, handsome and modest priest Don Luigi Portarulo, aged 36, is now in charge for the Italian community in New York and serves at St Patrick’s, the most important Catholic cathedral in America. Don Luigi, a close friend and confidant of Pope Francis, is now celebrating the Italian Mass and is leading the large Italian congregation.

Pope Francis and Don Luigi Portarulo have a wonderful collaboration and friendship

Departing from the Vatican on a special mission at the personal decision of Pope Francis, Don Luigi Portarulo arrived in New York and began as pastor of Our Lady of Pompeii Catholic Church in Greenwich Village in 2022, being the only priest of Italian origin in Manhattan.

After 1 year, Rev. Luigi Portarulo become the pastor of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue and Parochial Vicar at Saint Patrick’s Old Chatedral Basilica which is a Catholic parish church, a basilica, and the former cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York, located in the Nolita neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, on Mulberry St.

Don Luigi is now celebrating the Italian Mass and is leading the large Italian congregation.

Don Luigi celebrated Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Ave, Manhattan, NYC. Is the most importat Catholic cathedral in America

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City

The late afternoon light, filtered through the stained-glass majesty of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, painted Don Luigi Portarulo in hues of sapphire and ruby. He moved with a quiet grace, a young Italian priest amidst the echoing vastness, a figure both familiar and foreign to the city’s relentless pulse. Sent from the Vatican, a direct emissary of Pope Francis, he carried with him not only the weight of centuries, but a palpable sense of purpose, a mission that extended beyond the cathedral’s gothic arches.
His presence, a delicate balance of Old World charm and modern sensibility, resonated within the hallowed space. There was a certain luminosity about him, a youthful earnestness that belied the gravitas of his calling. Yet, beneath the surface of his undeniable physical presence lay a deep well of spiritual devotion, a commitment that resonated with the diverse congregation seeking solace within those storied walls.
Beyond the cathedral’s grand facade, Don Luigi’s mission extended into the heart of New York’s Italian community, a diaspora clinging to its roots amidst the city’s ceaseless evolution. He became a bridge, a familiar accent in a foreign land, a comforting presence in a world that often felt overwhelming. He offered not only spiritual guidance, but a tangible connection to their heritage, a reminder of the traditions that bound them together.
Then there was the Old Saint Patrick’s Basilica, a place of quiet contemplation amidst the urban clamor, where he serves as Vicar. Within its aged stones, time seemed to slow, and the whispers of history echoed through its hallowed halls. It was here, in this sanctuary of memory, that Don Luigi found a different rhythm, a space for introspection and quiet communion.
His journey, from the Vatican’s ancient corridors to the vibrant streets of New York, was a testament to the enduring power of faith. He is a priest, a shepherd, a guardian of tradition, and yet, he is also a man navigating the complexities of a new world. His story, still unfolding, was a quiet symphony of devotion, a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit to find solace and meaning in the heart of a bustling metropolis.

Observations as journalist, coupled with personal acquaintance like friend, suggest that Reverend Don Luigi Portarulo embodies a compelling confluence of qualities. His evident charisma, marked by a lively and engaging demeanor, appears consonant with a perceived vocation within the ecclesiastical sphere. Furthermore, his deportment, characterized by modesty, humility, and dignity, aligns with traditional expectations of clerical conduct. While possessing a discernible sense of humor, Reverend Portarulo also exhibits a resolute character, demonstrating clarity of purpose and a willingness to articulate his perspectives forthrightly. His consistent engagement within the Italian community is noteworthy, particularly his instrumental role in the coordination of material aid for vulnerable populations. Moreover, his rapport with young Italian students, evidenced by his patient pedagogy and promotion of collaborative endeavors, underscores his capacity to inspire and mentor. In light of these observations, Reverend Portarulo represents a potentially revitalizing presence within the Catholic Church.
I consider Don Luigi a breath of fresh spring air in the Catholic Church in New York.

Luigi Portarulo was born and raised in the town of Bernalda, in the province of Matera, in the beautiful southern part of Italy. He then spent much of his life in the Vatican. Bernalda is in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. In the early 1900s, many Basilicatans left that part of Italy to settle in America. The families of both Francis Ford Copola and Cake Boss emigrated from Bernalda. About 15 years ago, Coppola converted a magnificent 19th-century palace there into a luxury hotel, “Palazzo Margherita”.

When the daughter of the great director Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia, returned to her family’s town to get married, Luigi Portarulo’s mother, Mrs. Enza, prepared the wedding meal, as she was known as the best chef in Bernalda.

Luigi regularly went to church with his mother Enza and his grandmother, Mimina. As a child, he said that when he will grew up, he wanted to be Pope.

Like many boys in his neighborhood, Luigi became an altar boy at his local church, Mater Ecclesiae, the new church in Bernalda. The old town church, which dates back to the 1530s, was much further away, practically on the other side of town. Luigi loved to collect prayer books of saints and he loved to serve Mass. He was different from other boys his age. Luigi would run enthusiastically to every Mass all weekend.

Pope Francis and Don Luigi Portarulo

When Luigi was twelve, he read in a Catholic magazine in Italy about altar boys serving at a jubilee Mass at the Vatican and told his parents that he wanted to do the same. Rome is a few hours away from the provincial Bernalda. His parents took him there so he could serve at the Jubilee of 2000, but after the service he didn’t want to return home, he wanted to stay. Luigi’s last name, Portarulo, translates as “carry it” in Italian.

Pope John Paul II and Luigi Portarulo

Pope John Paul II and Luigi Portarulo at Vatican

Rare photos of Pope John Paul II and the very young Luigi Portarulo.
(Personal archive of Don Luigi)

His parents tried to explain that the Vatican was too far away. But Luigi was determined to stay. That fall, he was accepted into the boys’ program at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary and enrolled in the Vatican School at the very young age of 12, the same school for boys who serve in the Sistine Chapel chior.

The splendid gardens of the Vatican

The splendid gardens of the Vatican

Baby turtles in the artificial lakes of the fascinating Vatican gardens

Luigi loved the Vatican from the  moment he arrived. Every Sunday he received Communion from the Pope.

Upon arrival, Luigi lived in a dormitory with three other boys and attended the rigorous school there, Puerorum, eventually learning French, Spanish, Greek, and Latin. Over the years, Luigi celebrated Mass for three popes.

After ordination for the diocese of Como (he was ordained on June 9, 2012 in the northern Italian city’s cathedral), Fr. Luigi spent his first years of priestly ministry at the Pre-Seminary itself—then still located within the Vatican, it was moved in 2021 by order of Pope Francis. He was a priest of the “Don Folci” Institute, a public association of the faithful; the venerable Fr. Folci was involved in the foundation of the Pre-Seminary.

Pope Benedict XVI and Luigi

Pope Benedict XVI and Luigi Portarulo

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI and Luigi

Very young vice-rector and financial administrator at Vatican, Fr.Luigi Portarulo  explains that one of the purposes of the institute is to attend to the needs of the liturgical services at St. Peter’s Basilica with its students as altar servers.

Pope Francis always happy when he meets Luigi

During his time as vice-rector and financial administrator of the “Don Folci” Institute, Fr. Luigi Portarulo won the esteem, trust and sympathy of the young men who have had the experience of being altar servers at St. Peter’s Basilica in recent years.

In Rome, Luigi was captain of the Vatican football team and was considered a strong athlete who also run marathons. Pope Francis admired him when he saw him running in the Vatican gardens and often called  him as “Sporto” “the sportman of  the Vatican”.

Luigi Portarulo was the spearhead of the “Fabbrica di San Pietro” team in the “Clericus Cup” tournament. He wore the blue jersey of the Italian National Futsal Team of Priests, participating among other things in the XV edition of the European Futsal Championship in Prague, where he scored two goals.

Fr. Luigi Portarulo congratulated by Pope Francis for his sporting performances

Don Luigi in front of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy

Don Luigi at New York City Half Marathon, Central Park, March 2024

Central Park, NYC, March 2024

Iliass Aouani and Don Luigi Portarulo.
Aouani is an Italian middle and long-distance runner. Aouani won five national championships at individual senior level.

Don Luigi, captain of the Vatican football team

The handsome Italian priest Luigi Portarulo, passionate about football, tennis, marathons and sports in general

Don Luigi Portarulo and his friend famous footballer Ciro Immobile 🇮🇹
Ciro Immobile is an Italian professional footballer and former Italian international who plays as a center-forward for Beşiktaş. Immobile started his career at Sorrento and has also played for Juventus, Siena, Grosseto, Pescara, Genoa, Torino, Borussia Dortmund, and Sevilla. His contract with Beşiktaş expires on June 30, 2026, and his market value is €3.3m.

The formidable football player Ciro Immobile 🇮🇹

Ciro Immobile and his friend Don Luigi Portarulo

Ciro Immobile 🇮🇹

Don Luigi is an ardent fan of the football team FC Inter Milan. Luigi’s only attachment to material things is his attachment to the Inter soccer team.

Yann Sommerand and Don Luigi Portarulo.
Sommer is a Swiss professional goalkeeper who has played for the Swiss national team and several clubs, including Inter Milan and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He made his national team debut in 2012 and represented Switzerland in 94 matches, including the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and Euro 2016 and 2020.

Daniel Maldini and Don Luigi Portarulo.
Daniel Maldini is an famous Italian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Atalanta and the Italy national team. Becoming the third generation of his family to play for Italy. His father, Paolo, and grandfather, Cesare, also played for Italy.

Don Luigi and his friend, the famous footballer Daniel Maldini 🇮🇹

In 2022, Daniel Maldini won his first trophy, the Serie A,
Italy championship, with AC Milan

Don Luigi touches the Italian Champions Cup.
The Serie A trophy, officially named the Coppa Campioni d’Italia, is the trophy awarded to the winner of the Italian Serie A football league.

Don Luigi at US OPEN 2024

Jannik Sinner 🇮🇹 is the world’s top-ranked men’s singles tennis player, the first Italian to achieve this feat.

Jannik Sinner 🇮🇹 and his friend Don Luigi Portarulo.
Sinner has won 19 singles titles on the ATP Tour, including three majors at the 2024 Australian Open, 2024 US Open, and 2025 Australian Open, as well as the 2024 ATP Finals and four Masters 1000 titles. He also led Italy to the 2023 and 2024 Davis Cup crowns.

Don Luigi Portarulo and his friend Thomas Bach president of the International Olympic  Committee

Altar of the Chair of Saint Peter

Don Luigi celebrates Holy Mass at the Altar of the Chair of Saint Peter

St. Peter’s Square at night (Piazza San Pietro)

As is well known, His Holiness Pope Francis has been in the hospital several times in recent years, and Don Luigi called the Vatican to speak to his doctors and nurses to check on him. The Pope’s personal nurse was on Luigi’s soccer team.

His constant attention and care for the Pope comes from the respect and brotherly love he has for the Sovereign Pontiff, but especially from his kindness and human quality. Luigi’s last name, Portarulo, translates as “carry it” in Italian.

Father Luigi Portarulo graces the spiritual landscape of New York like a beacon ignited by unwavering faith. His eyes, indeed, possess a spark, but it is the incandescent glow of a soul deeply connected to the divine, a light that draws others not merely through charm, but through the profound sincerity of his calling. He carries his vocation not as a duty, but as a sacred inheritance, embracing humility and dignity as twin virtues that inform his every action.
Beneath a ready wit lies a spine of formidable strength, a quiet resolve born not of obstinacy, but of a clear and unwavering compass guided by his convictions. He navigates the complexities of his ministry with a tireless dedication, his days a testament to an unreserved commitment to his community. He is a vital artery in the heart of the Italian diaspora, channeling compassion into tangible aid, a shepherd who not only tends to the spiritual needs of his flock but also ensures their earthly sustenance.
For the young Italian students who gather around him, Don Luigi is more than an instructor; he is a patient architect of understanding, fostering not just knowledge but also the vital bonds of collaboration. He breathes into their lives a sense of purpose and belonging, nurturing their growth with the gentle yet persistent force of a spring breeze that awakens the dormant earth. In a world often clamorous and hurried, Father Luigi offers a sanctuary of genuine connection and unwavering faith, a true wellspring of renewal within the Catholic Church of New York.

As Don Luigi’s captivating photographs lend their final illumination to these page, I declare with unwavering conviction that this remarkable young priest will become Pope one day.

Senior Author: Prince Andrei Rațiu – New York City, USA 🇺🇲

– Honorary member of the Fine Artists Union Ark Principal in New York since 1997, Fashion designer & award winning fine artist,

–Graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in the departments of easel painting and fashion design with two master’s degrees, the first in aesthetics on the topic of “History of Beauty and Ugliness” and the second master’s degree in art history and philosophy of culture,

– Expert Consultant in International Politics at IBMI – International Business Management Institute in Berlin, Germany,

 – Business Consultant, Anti-trafficking Consultant & Human Rights Consultant at USIDHR – US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights in Washington DC,

– “A 2021 AMERICAN PATRIOT OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK”– Diploma of recognition awarded by Faith and Freedom Coalition, Georgia, USA, signed by Dr. Ralph Reed  who is Founder and President, Member of the US Council for National Policy 

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