The Cardinal is the second Archbishop of Bologna to become president of the CEI.

Rome – Italy (24/05/2022 1:03 PM, Gaudium Press) On Tuesday morning, 24, Pope Francis named Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, 66, as the new president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI).

The choice came after the end of the first working session of the 76th General Assembly of the CEI, during which Italian bishops proceeded to elect the trio for the appointment of the president who would replace Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, 80, Archbishop of Perugia-Città Della Pieve.

Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi

Born in Rome on October 11, 1955, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi was ordained a priest in 1981 and was elected Auxiliary Bishop of Rome by Pope Benedict XVI on January 31, 2012, and consecrated on April 14, 2013.

He was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Bologna by Pope Francis on October 27, 2015, and named Cardinal in the consistory of October 5, 2019. Since 2016 he has been part of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, serving as president of the Episcopal Conference of Emilia Romagna and a member of the Permanent Bishops’ Council. (EPC)

Compiled by Gustavo Kralj