Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of State, was born in Schiavon (Vicenza) on 17 January 1955. He was ordained a priest on 27 April 1980 and incardinated into the diocese of Vicenza.
He holds a degree in canon law.
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on the 1 July 1986, beginning work at the pontifical representations in Nigeria and Mexico and at the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State.
He was appointed Under-Secretary for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State on 30 November 2002.
On the 17 August 2009 he was appointed as apostolic nuncio to Venezuela and, at the same time, elevated to the dignity of archbishop and assigned the titular see of Acquapendente. He received Episcopal ordination from Pope Benedict XVI on 12 September of the same year.
On 31 August 2013 Pope Francis appointed him as Secretary of State, beginning his mandate on 15 October.
Member of the group of cardinals established to advise Pope Francis in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia,‘Pastor Bonus’.
Created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 22 February 2014, of the Title of Santi Simone e Giuda Taddeo a Torre Angela.
Member of:
• Congregations: for the Doctrine of the Fait; for the Oriental Churches; for the Evangelization of Peoples; for Bishops;
• Cardinal Commission for the Supervision of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR).