The Vatican’s Pontifical Yearbook, established in 1860 as a nearly 2,500-page printed directory of bishops and Church institutions, launched its digital platform on December 8, 2025. The new website and mobile apps offer subscribers real-time updates on appointments and institutional changes, replacing the delayed annual publication cycle. Users can search verified data on dioceses, Vatican departments, and religious leaders for 18.90 euros quarterly or 68.10 euros annually through PayPal. Future plans include additional languages, digitized historical archives, and enhanced search tools for researchers seeking deeper institutional insight.
How does the Catholic Church keep track of its thousands of bishops, dioceses, and institutions spread across every continent? For more than a century, the answer has been the Pontifical Yearbook, a nearly 2,500-page red volume published annually with official data on cardinals, bishops, dioceses, and Vatican departments.
On December 8, 2025, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, that reference tool entered the digital age.
The centuries-old Pontifical Yearbook launched its digital platform, bringing the Vatican’s official directory into the modern era.
The Vatican’s Secretariat of State announced the launch on December 9, revealing that Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra and Fr. Lucio Adrián Ruiz presented the new platform to Pope Leo XIV, who became its first user. The Pope navigated the system during the presentation and called it “extremely useful” and a “wonderful service.”
The digital yearbook is accessible through a website and mobile apps for iOS and Android, though it currently operates only in Italian with plans for additional languages. Users must register online and pay through PayPal, with subscriptions priced at 18.90 euros quarterly or 68.10 euros annually, slightly cheaper than the printed edition‘s 78 euros.
The platform contains official, verified information on dioceses, Roman Curia dicasteries, nunciatures, embassies to the Holy See, and religious institutes worldwide. It provides statistics, names, and contact details for bishops and Holy See departments, serving curias, episcopal conferences, scholars, journalists, and diplomats who need immediate data verification. This transition parallels ongoing conversations among theologians about hermeneutical principles guiding interpretation of scripture.
The shift to digital addresses a fundamental limitation of the printed version: timeliness. While the annual book captures a snapshot once a year, the digital platform promises real-time updates on appointments and institutional changes, improving transparency and accessibility for the global Church. The platform allows users to conduct advanced searches by name, position, country, or diocese, facilitating easier and more accurate consultation of data.
The printed edition will continue for its historical and documentary value, maintaining a tradition stretching from the medieval Liber Pontificalis to the official yearbook established under Pope Leo XIII in 1899. The Yearbook adopted the name Annuario Pontificio in 1860. However, limited copies remain available at the Vatican Bookstore.
Future developments include expanded language options, digitized historical data from archives, advanced search tools for researchers, and improved accessibility meeting international standards. The Vatican has opened an email channel for user suggestions on refinements.
