The Guinean cardinal, widely respected in traditionalist circles, will serve as the pope’s special envoy for the 400th anniversary celebrations of Saint Anne’s apparitions to Breton farmer Yvon Nicolazic. The appointment comes amid swirling rumors surrounding Cardinal Robert Sarah.
Putting to rest weeks of speculation, Pope Leo XIV announced May 24 that Cardinal Robert Sarah, the Guinean prelate and former prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, will serve as his special envoy to the sanctuary of Sainte-Anne-d’Auray this July.
The cardinal will preside over liturgical celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, to Breton farmer Yvon Nicolazic between 1623 and 1625. The anniversary, celebrated throughout 2025 by the Diocese of Vannes, will culminate during the Grand Pardon of Saint Anne on July 25–26.
The Vatican announcement follows a swirl of rumors surrounding Cardinal Sarah’s role. Social media posts had falsely claimed that the traditionalist favorite had been appointed as a special envoy to the “global south,” tasked with sensitive diplomatic and ecclesial missions to safeguard church unity. The reports—suggesting an unprecedented and sweeping mandate—prompted Cardinal Sarah to respond in an interview with the Italian outlet La Bussola: “It’s disrespectful to the Holy Father to attribute such stupidity to him.”
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