Birth. June 15, 1936, Long Beach, archdiocese of Los Angeles, United States of America. Of a family of Portuguese origin. Son of Joseph Levada, Jr. (1900–1970), and Lorraine Nunez Levada (1905–2000), both natives of Concord in the San Francisco Bay area. His parents had moved south from Martinez only a few months before his birth. His great-grandparents were from Portugal and Ireland, and emigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1860s. He was baptized in the church of the Holy Innocents, Long Beach. He had one older sister, Dolores Levada Sartain (1932–2007).

Education. He attended Catholic grammar schools in Long Beach, California and Houston, Texas, when his family lived there for three years; and, later, St. Anthony High School in Long Beach. He attended seminary college in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, graduating from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo in 1958 with a B.A. in Philosophy. From 1958 to 1962 he continued his seminary formation at the North American College in Rome; he did his theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, receiving a licentiate degree (STL), magna cum laude, in sacred theology, in 1962. Besides his native English, he spoke Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Priesthood. Ordained, December 20, 1961, patriarchal Vatican basilica, by Martin John O'Connor, titular archbishop of Laodicea di Siria, president of the Pontifical Commission for Cinematography, Radio and Television. He spent five years in parish work in the archdiocese of Los Angeles, including part-time high school teaching and college campus ministry. After receiving his doctorate, he taught theology at St. John's Seminary School of Theology, located at Camarillo in the archdiocese of Los Angeles. During these six years he also served as the first director of Continuing Education for the Clergy in the archdiocese. In 1976, he was appointed an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. During his six years of service, he continued teaching theology part-time as an instructor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1982, he was assigned to be executive director of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops in Sacramento, the public policy arm of the church in California.

Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Capri and appointed auxiliary of Los Angeles, March 24, 1983. Consecrated, May 12, 1983, St. Vibiana's cathedral, Los Angeles, by Cardinal Timothy Manning, archbishop of Los Angeles, assisted by John James Ward, titular bishop of Bria, auxiliary of Los Angeles, and by Juan Alfredo Arzube, titular bishop of Civitate, auxiliary of Los Angeles. In the same ceremony was consecrated Donald William Montrose, titular bishop of Vescovio, auxiliary of Los Angeles. His episcopal motto was "Fratres In Unum". Returning to the archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1984, he served as episcopal vicar for Santa Barbara County until his 1986 appointment as chancellor and moderator of the curia. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Portland in Oregon, July 1, 1986. From 1986 to 1993 he served as the only American bishop on the Editorial Committee of the Vatican Commission for the Catechism of the Catholic Church; he authored the Catechism's Glossary, which was published in the English-language second edition of the Catechism. Appointed coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco, August 17, 1995. Succeeded to the metropolitan see of San Francisco on December 27, 1995. Attended the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 16 to December 12, 1997; named to its post-synodal council. Apostolic administrator of the diocese of Santa Rosa, July 1999 to May 2000. Named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, May 13, 2005. Attended the Eleventh General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 23, 2005.

Birth. September 23, 1934, Rodica, archdiocese of Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia). Seventh and youngest child of a profoundly religious family. In 1945 his family sought refuge in Austria and in 1948 went to Argentina.

Education. Entered the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists), Buenos Aires, 1952; perpetual profession, 1957. Studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University Rome; and at Institute Catholique, Paris (doctorate in theology, 1968). Received the diaconate on October 4 1959 in the Chapel of the Lazarist Fathers, in Paris, from André-Jean-François Defebvre, C.M., impeded bishop of Ninghsien.

Priesthood. Ordained, June 29, 1960, Paris, by André-Jean-François Defebvre, C.M., expelled bishop of Ninghsien. In 1965, at the request of his superiors, returned to Yugoslavia; worked as vice-pastor; director of studies of his congregation; provincial visitor; professor of fundamental theology and missionology at the Theological Faculty of Ljubljana. Consultor of the Secretariat for Non-Believers, 1978. Transferred to that dicastery in 1981; its undersecretary, 1982; he helped organize some significant dialogue sessions with European Marxists. In 1993, the pope united the Pontifical Council for Culture and Pontifical Council for Non-Believers and appointed him secretary of the new Pontifical Council for Culture.

Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Ljubljana, March 5, 1997. Consecrated, April 6, 1997, cathedral of Ljubljana, by Alojzij Ssustar, archbishop emeritus of Ljubljana, assisted by Franc Perko, archbishop of Beograd, and by Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic, archbishop of Toronto. His episcopal motto is "Satati Inu Obstati". He successfully guided the negotiations for a new concordat to final approval in 2004. Named prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, February 11, 2004. Attended the Eleventh General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 23, 2005.

Birth. April 17, 1940, Poli, diocese of Tivoli, Italy. He moved to Barra, near Naples with the family at the end of the Second World War; his father, of Tuscan origin, who was a carabiniere, was deported to Germany. The mother, along with her two children, Agostino and an older sister, returned to her town, Corchiano, Viterbo, where Agostino attended the elementary school and received the Christian initiation under the guidance of the pastor, Father Domenico Anselmi, who wanted him an altar boy. When the war ended, the family could reunite and in 1949 it moved to Caserta; and then, in 1951 to Naples where the father was sent for military service. The mother's death in 1952 definitively marked Agostino's life.

Education. From 1952, he studied at the Minor Seminary of Naples; then, at the Major Archiepiscopal Seminary of Naples; and later, at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy, S. Tommaso d'Aquino campus, Naples, where he obtained a licentiate in theology; finally, at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, where he earned a doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law; his doctoral dissertation was on the new Code of Canon Law.

Priesthood. Ordained, July 19, 1964, Naples, by Vittorio Longo, titular bishop of Lorima, auxiliary of Naples, at the wish of the Cardinal Alfonso Castaldo, archbishop of Naples. Professor of canon at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy, S. Tommaso d'Aquino campus, and later, dean of the campus; professor of canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University; assessor of the Italian Catholic University Federation; of the movement "Sigueme"; and of the Union of Major Religious Superiors of Italy. Rector of the Major Archiepiscopal Seminary of Naples. Regional counselor of the Catholic Action.

Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Tortiboli and appointed auxiliary of Naples, March 23, 1989. Consecrated, May 13, 1989, cathedral of Naples, by Cardinal Michele Giordano, archbishop of Naples, assisted by Luigi Diligenza, archbishop of Capua, and by Antonio Ambrosiano, archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia. His episcopal motto is "Sequere me". Transferred to the suburbicarian see of Albano, November 13, 1999. Named prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature and promoted to the dignity of archbishop, May 27, 2004. Resigned the pastoral government of the see of Albano, May 27, 2004. Attended the Eleventh General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 23, 2005; president of the Commission for Discussion.

Birth. August 28, 1942, Caracas, Venezuela. Son of Luis Manuel Urosa Joud and Ligia Savino del Castillo de Urosa.

Education. Studied at Colegio "De La Salle", Tienda Honda, Caracas (humanities); at the Interdiocesan Seminary of Caracas, Caracas (philosophy); at Saint Augustine's Seminary, Toronto, 1962-1965 (theology); at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, 1965-1971 (doctorate in dogmatic theology); while in Rome, he resided at Pontificio Colegio Pío Latino Americano. Besides his native Spanish, he speaks English, Italian, French and Latin.

Priesthood. Ordained, August 15, 1967, Caracas, by Cardinal José Humberto Quintero, archbishop of Caracas. Professor and rector of the Seminary "San José, Caracas. Rector of the Interdiocesan Seminary "Santa Rosa de Lima", Caracas. President of the Organization of Latin American Seminaries. Founder of the parochial vicariate "Santísimo Trinidad", in "Casa de tabla", a chabolas neighborhood of Caracas. Vicar general of the archdiocese of Caracas.

Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Vegesela di Bizacena and appointed auxiliary of Caracas, July 6, 1982. Consecrated, September 22, 1982, cathedral of Santiago y Santa Ana, Caracas, by José Alí Lebrún Moratinos, archbishop of Caracas, assisted by Domingo Roa Pérez, archbishop of Maracaibo, and by Miguel Antonio Salas Salas, archbishop of Mérida. His episcopal motto was Pro mundi vita. Promoted to metropolitan see of Valencia en Venezuela, March 16, 1990. Attended the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 16 to December 12, 1997. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Caracas, September 19, 2005. Elected second vice president of the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela, January 10, 2006.

Birth. August 10, 1932, Batangas City, then diocese of Lipa, Philippines. Third of the seven children (four boys and three girls) of Godofredo D. Rosales and Remedios Borbon.

Education. Studied at San José Minor Seminary, Manila, 1947-1951; and later, at San José Major Seminary, Manila, 1951-1958 (philosophy and theology).

Priesthood. Ordained, March 23, 1958, cathedral of Lipa, by Alejandro Olalia, bishop of Lipa. Prefect of discipline and later rector of St. Francis de Sales Minor Seminary, Lipa 1958-1966. Spiritual director, professor, St. Francis de Sales College Seminary, Lipa, 1966-1970. Later, spiritual guide of Legio Mariae, Lipa. Parish priest, Immaculate Conception, Batangas City, 1970-1975.

Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Esco and appointed auxiliary of Manila, August 12, 1974. Consecrated, October 28, 1974, basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Batangas City, by Bruno Torpigliani, titular archbishop of Malliana, nuncio to the Philippines, assisted by Jaime Lachica Sin, archbishop of Manila, and by Ricardo Jamin Vidal, archbishop of Lipa. His episcopal motto is Si mortuum fuerit fructum affert. In charge of District Bishop, East Antipolo, Rizal. National director of the Pontifical Mission and Aid Societies, Manila, 1977-1982. National director, Mission Society of the Philippines, 1977-1982. Rector, San Carlos Seminary, Manila, 1980-1982. Named coadjutor of Malaybalay, June 9, 1982. Succeeded to the see, September 14, 1984. Apostolic visitor of seminaries in the Philippines, 1984-1999. Attended the Eighth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 28, 1990. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Lipa, December 30, 1992. Vice-president of the Episcopal Conference of the Philippines, 1997-1999. Attended the Special Assembly for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 22 to December 12, 1998; and the Tenth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 27, 2001. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Manila, September 15, 2003. Apostolic administrator of Lipa, September 15, 2003 until the appointment of a successor.

Birth. September 25, 1944, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. Son of Georges and Jeanine Ricard. His father was general secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Marseille. His baptismal names is Jean-Pierre Bernard.

Education. Studied at Lyceums of Saint-Charles and Périer, Marseille, and Thiers (bachelor in letters). Grand Seminary of Marseille (philosophy), 1962-1964; One year of National Service of Cooperation in Bamako, Republic of Mali). Seminary "des Carmes", Paris; Institut Catholique de Paris (licence in theology and habilitation for the doctorate); Institut Supérieur de Pastoral Catéchistique (diploma).

Priesthood. Ordained, October 5, 1968, church of Saint Martin, Gémenos, by Georges Jacquot, archbishop of Marseille. Pastoral work in the archdiocese of Marseille, 1968-1993: Vicar of the parish of Sainte-Émilie de Vialoar, 1970-1978; in charge of religious teaching and formation of priests and laymen and responsible of the Center of Religious Culture of Mistral, 1975-1981; diocesan delegate for the seminarians, 1975-1985; pastor of the parish of Sainte-Marguerite, 1981-1988; delegate adjunct for ecumenism, and episcopal vicar of the zone of Marseille-sud, 1984-1988; regional theologian for pastoral, 1986-1993; general secretary of the Diocesan Synod of Marseille, 1988-1991; vicar general of Cardinal Robert Coffy, archbishop of Marseille, 1988-1993.

Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Pulcheriopoli and appointed auxiliary of Grenoble, April 17, 1993. Consecrated, June 6, 1993, cathedral of Sainte-Marie-Majeure, called La Major, Marseille, by Cardinal Robert Coffy, archbishop of Marseille, assisted by Louis Jean Dufaux, bishop of Grenoble, and by Jacques Louis Marie Joseph Fihey, bishop of Coutances et Avranches. His episcopal motto is Propter Evangelium. Coadjutor bishop of Montpellier, July 4, 1996. Succeeded to the see of Montpellier, September 6, 1996. Vice-President of the Conference of Bishops of France, November 9, 1999. Participated in the Tenth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to October 27, 2001. Elected president of the Conference of Bishops of France, November 6, 2001; occupied the post until November 5, 2007. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Bordeaux et Bazes, December 21, 2001. Attended the Eleventh General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 23, 2005.

Birth. October 15, 1945, Utiel, archdiocese of Valencia, Spain. Third child of Jerónimo Cañizares, head of telegraphs of Utiel (+1954), and Pilar Llovera Hernández (1915-2001), both originally from Benagéber. He resided with his family in Sinarcas in his childhood and youth.

Education. Studied at the Minor Seminary of Valencia; at the Seminary of Valencia; and at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, where he obtained a doctorate in theology, specializing in catechesis.

Priesthood. Ordained, June 21, 1970, Sinarcas, Valencia, by Archbishop José María García de la Higuera of Valencia. In the archdiocese of Valencia, vice-pastor and delegate for catechesis. In the archdiocese of Madrid, professor of catechetical theology, University of Salamanca; professor of fundamental theology, Conciliar Seminary of Madrid; coadjutor of the parish of "San Gerardo"; director and professor of the Institute of Religious Science and Catechesis "San Dámaso", Madrid; responsible of the direction of studies, Seminary of Madrid; member of several commissions and secretariats of the Spanish Episcopal Conference; promoter of the "Asociación Española de Catequistas"; director of the Secretariat of the Episcopal Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1985-1992. Founder and first president of Asociación Española de Catequistas. Director of the review Teología y Catequésis.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Ávila, March 6, 1992. Consecrated, April 25, 1992, cathedral of Á;vila, by Mario Tagliaferri, titular archbishop of Formia, nuncio in Spain, assisted by Cardinal Ángel Suquía Goicoechea, archbishop of Madrid, and by Cardinal Marcelo González Martín, archbishop of Toledo. His episcopal motto is Fiat voluntas tua. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Granada, December 10, 1996. Member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, November 10, 1996. Apostolic administrator of the diocese of Cartagena, January-October, 1998. President of the Episcopal Commission of Education and Catechesis of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, 1999. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Toledo, October 24, 2002. Vice-president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference from 2005 to 2008. Founder and first president of the Asociación Española de Catequistas.

Birth. December 2 (or 7) 1931, Seoul, Korea. He was the third of six children of a Catholic family. He was baptized in Seoul's cathedral and then received the sacrament of confirmation during the fourth year of elementary school. As a child he was an altar boy. In 1945, when in the second year of middle school, Korea gained independence. In the social chaos of that period, he had been influenced by atheism, but during that spiritual crisis, he attended a course of special Lenten catechesis through which he had reconnected to the faith. From an early age he had dreamed of becoming an inventor.

Education. In 1950, just on the eve of the outbreak of the Korean War, he had started attending the chemical engineering faculty of Seoul National University. The war, however, had prevented him from fulfilling his aspirations and he had had to remain hidden for a long time, overcoming serious difficulties. Due to the evolution of the war, he was forced to leave Seoul to save himself. When the city defense corps were created, he had received two weeks of training and became second lieutenant. Because of his knowledge of the English language, he found work with the U.S. army in Daegu as coordinator of workers' labors and interpreter. Then, he entered the Major Seminary of Seoul, in 1954, obtaining a bachelor's in theology; later, he studied sociology in Hong Kong; and canon law at the Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome, residing at Collegio San Pietro Apostolo, from 1968 to 1970.

Priesthood. Ordained, March 18, 1961, metropolitan cathedral of Seoul, by Paul Marie Kinam Ro, archbishop of Seoul. In the archdiocese of Seoul: vicar cooperator of the parish of Saint Joseph, 1961; professor at the Minor Seminary and notary of the curia, 1962; chancellor of the curia and undersecretary of the Catholic Conference, 1964-1965; episcopal chancellor and vice-rector of the Minor Seminary, 1966-1967; studied canon law in Rome from October 1968 until his promotion to the episcopate.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Ch'ongju, June 25, 1970. Consecrated, October 3, 1970, church of the Holy Family, Ch'ongju, by Paul Maria Kinam Ro, titular archbishop of Tituli di Proconsulare, former archbishop of Seoul, assisted by James Vincent Pardy, titular bishop of Umbriatico, and by Peter Kong Han-Ryel, bishop of Jeon Ju. His episcopal motto was Omnibus omnia. At the time of his election, he was the youngest Korean bishop at 39 years of age. President of the Korean Episcopal Conference, 1996-1998. Attended the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, April 29 to May 14, 1998. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Seoul, May 29, 1998. Apostolic administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis, of P'yöng-yang, June 6, 1998. During his episcopate in Seoul, he established 75 new parishes.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of March 24, 2006; received the red biretta and the title of S. Maria Immacolata di Lourdes a Boccea, March 24, 2006. Named member of of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See, February 3, 2007. In the Roman Curia, he was member of the Pontifical Council for the Family and of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years old on December 7, 2011. His resignation from the pastoral government of the archdiocese of Seoul, according to canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law, was accepted by the pope on May 10, 2012. After resigning as archbishop of Seoul, he focused on writing and translating books at the Catholic University of Korea. He wrote and translated more than 60 books, many on canon law and catechism. He called himself “a bookworm.”

Birth. June 29, 1944, Lakewood, diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America. Son of Theodore O'Malley and Mary Louise Reidy. His baptismal name was Patrick. He has one sister and one brother. They were raised in South Hills in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh and Reading, Pennsylvania.

Education. Entered the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchins; professed on July 14, 1965; took the name Seán in honor of St. John; studied at St. Fidelis Seminary, Butler, Pennsylvania; at Capuchin College, Washington, D.C.; and at The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. (master's in religious education; doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese literature). Besides his native English, he speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and also knows German, Italian and French.

Priesthood. Ordained, August 29, 1970, church of St. Augustine, Pittsburgh, by John Bernard McDowell, titular bishop of Tamazuca, auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh. Faculty member, Catholic University of America, 1969-1973. Further studies, Washington, D.C. In the archdiocese of Washington, executive director of Centro Católico Hispano, archdiocese of Washington, 1973; episcopal vicar for the Hispanic, Portuguese and Haitian communities and executive director of the Office of Social Ministry, 1978. Named a knight commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1974; this honor was conferred by the Portuguese government for outstanding service to the Portuguese people.

Episcopate. Named coadjutor bishop of Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, June 2, 1984. Consecrated, August 2, 1984, cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Thomas, by Edward John Harper, C.SS.R., bishop of Saint Thomas, assisted by James Aloysius Hickey, archbishop of Washington, and by Eugene Antonio Marino, S.S.J., titular bishop of Walla Walla, auxiliary of Washington. His episcopal motto is "Quodcumque Dixerit Facite". Member of the Christian Life Community "Agrupación Católica Universitaria", founded in Cuba and now present in several cities in the United States, September 22, 1984. Succeeded to the see of Saint Thomas, October 16, 1985. Named as a chaplain ad honorem of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 1991. Transferred to the see of Fall River, June 16, 1992. Participated, by papal appointment, in the Special Assembly for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 22 to December 12, 1998. Apostolic visitor for several seminaries in Central America and the Caribbean. Transferred to the see of Palm Beach, September 3, 2002. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Boston, July 1, 2003.

Birth. April 27, 1939, Raba Wyżna, archdiocese of Kraków. Son of Stanisław Dziwisz, a railroad worker, and Sofia Bielarczyk. He had six siblings, four brothers (among them Antoni, Jan); and two sisters. When he was nine years old his father died in a train accident.

Education. Studied at the Classical Lyceum of Nowy Targ (passed the exam of maturity in 1957); at the Major Seminary of Kraków (philosophy and theology); at the Faculty of Theology of Kraków, where he obtained a licentiate in theology in 1967; at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology of Kraków, where he earned a doctorate in theology in 1981; his doctoral thesis was Il culto di Santo Stanislao Vescovo a Cracovia fino al Concilio di Trento). Received the diaconate from Karol Wojtyła, titular bishop of Ombi, vicar capitular of Kraków, on March 25, 1963.

Birth. June 1, 1938, Samboseto di Busseto, diocese of Fidenza, Italy. Son of Ampelio Caffarra and Maria Contini. He had three sisters; two of them, Ana Maria and Norma were nuns.

Education. Studied at the Episcopal Seminary of Fidenza; at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, where he earned a doctorate in canon law; and at Accademia Alfonsiana, Rome, where he obtained a diploma of specialization in moral theology.

Priesthood. Ordained, July 2, 1961, church S. Vigilio, Samboseto, by Guglielmo Bosetti, bishop of Fidenza. Returned to his diocese from Rome in 1965, and taught moral theology in the seminaries of Fidenza and Parma; and later, at the Studio Teologico bolognese; at the Catholic University of Milan; and at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy. He specialized in the moral doctrine of marriage and the bioethics concerning human procreation; taught for some years medical ethics at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Catholic University Sacro Cuore in Rome. Member of the International Theological Commission, 1974-1984. Consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Member of the Commission for the study of "ingegneria genetica" instituted "ad actum" in the Ministry of Health in Italy. President of the Pontifical Institute "Giovanni Paolo II" for the study of Marriage and Family, 1980. He founded sections of the same institute in the United States, Spain and Mexico; and Anthropotes, the journal of the institute. Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life from May 31, 1994 until December 31, 2016.

Birth. January 13, 1932, Shanghai, China. Son of Vincent Zen and Margaret Tseu. He grew up in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Shanghai, where as a boy he enjoyed family trips to a Salesian church atop a hill on the city's outskirts.

Education. Entered the Society of St. Francis de Sales of St. John Bosco (Salesians) at the novitiate in Hong Kong; studied theology in Salesian houses of study Turin, Italy; at the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome (licentiate in theology and doctorate in philosophy). He speaks several Chinese languages in addition to fluent English, Italian and Latin.

Priesthood. Ordained, February 11, 1961, Turin, by Cardinal Maurilio Fossati, O.Ss.G.C., archbishop of Turin. Further studies, Rome. Returned to Hong Kong and occupied different posts in the Salesian communities of that city; professor of the Seminary of Hong Kong until 1973; inspector of his congregation; president of the Association of Superiors Major; provincial superior of the Salesians for "external" China: Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, 1978-1983. Professor in seminaries of the official and underground Church in various areas of China, 1983 to 1996.

Episcopate. Elected coadjutor bishop of Hong Kong (Xianggang), September 13, 1996. Consecrated, December 9, 1996, cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong, by Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-Chung, bishop of Hong Kong, assisted by Cardinal Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, archbishop of Tokyo, and by Charles Asa Schleck, titular archbishop of Africa, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. His episcopal motto is Ipsi cura est. Attended the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, April 29 to May 14, 1998; by papal appointment. Succeeded to the see of Hong Kong, September 23, 2002. Attended the Eleventh General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 2 to 23, 2005; by papal appointment.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of March 24, 2006; received the red biretta and the title of S. Maria Madre del Redentore a Tor Bella Monaca, March 24, 2006. Attended the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 5 to 26, 2008, on "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church"; by papal appointment; elected member of the Twelfth Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, October 22, 2008. On April 15, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation from the pastoral government of the diocese of Hong Kong, China, in conformity with canon 401, §1, of the Code of Canon Law. Special papal envoy to the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the pastoral visit of the Servant of God Pope John Paul II to Thailand, which took place in Bangkok on May 10 to 11, 2009. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years old on January 13, 2012. Special papal envoy to the celebration of the centennial of the birth of Blessed Peter ToRot, catechist and martyr of Papua New Guinea, on July 7, 2012, in Rabaul. On May 11, 2022, he was arrested by the authorities in Hong Kong, according to local media reports. The cardinal and four others who helped run a now-disbanded humanitarian fund for protesters, all on charges of "collusion with foreign forces", a legal source said. The cardinal was being held in Chai Wan police station close to his church residence, according to a police sergeant on the scene. He was released on bail hours after he was arrested according to media reports. The reports emerged shortly after the Vatican said that it was concerned to hear of the 90-year-old cardinal’s arrest. On November 25, 2022, he and five members of the Democratic Front were declared guilty of failing to properly register a humanitarian fund of which they were the managers and sentenced to pay a fine.

Bibliography. Brender, Andreas ; Kierein-Kuenring, Mandred D. Catholic Hierarchy in China since 1307. Cluj-Napoca, 2012, pp. 216 and 246; Zen Ze-Kiun, Joseph ; Malovic, Dorian. Mgr Zen, un homme en colère. Entretiens avec le cardinal de Hong Kong. Paris : Ediciones Bayard, 2007.

Birth. August 27, 1925, Turin, Italy. Of a noble family. His father was the famous Colonel Giuseppe Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo (1); and his mother was Amalia Dematteis, who was a lay auditor during the Second Vatican Council. He had two sisters, Adriana and Lidia. He is related to Luca di Montezemolo, president of Ferrari and chairman of Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT). His second cousin Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was also a priest.

Education. Initial studies in Turin; obtained a bachelor's degree in Rome. During the Second World War, he was enlisted and fought as a volunteer in the "Montezemolo Battallion", named after his father. During the year of his father's death, he was hidden from the Nazis by the Ukrainian clergy in the Ukrainian Pontifical College of Saint Josaphat. After the war, he obtained a doctorate in architecture in 1949; he exercised the profession for several years and at the same time taught as assistant professor at the university. During those years, he matured the vocation to the ecclesiastical life and he started his studies as a lay student at the Pontifical Gregorian University; and later as a seminarian at Collegio Capranica; he obtained licentiates in philosophy and theology; he also studied at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Vatican's diplomatic school, 1957-1959; obtained a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University.

Priesthood. Ordained, March 13, 1954, Rome, by Luigi Traglia, titular archbishop of Cesarea di Palestina, vice-gerent of Rome. Further studies in Rome. Vice-chaplain of the University of Rome. In 1960, he entered the service of the Holy See. Secretary in the apostolic delegation in México, 1960-1964. Privy chamberlain supernumerary, June 21, 1963. Secretary in the internunciature in Japan, 1964-1966. Secretary in the nunciature in Kenya and in the apostolic delegation in Eastern Africa, 1966-1968. Worked in the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church as auditor of nunciature of second class and of first class, 1968-1972. Under-secretary of the Pontifical Commission Iustitia et Pax, 1972-1975; later, pro-secretary, 1975-1976; and finally, secretary, 1976-1977.

Birth. May 10, 1918, Ko, diocese of Wa, Ghana. Of a Pagan family. Fourth of the ten children of Theodore Poreku and Agnes Zoore. He was born in the house of his uncle Ngmankurinaa. He was born after the death of his immediate brother and he was thought to be a reincarnation of his brother and thus called Dery. The future cardinal accompanied his uncle to establish his many and varied fetishes for the prominent people of the area; his main duty was to help his uncle slay the animals and hens required for the establishment of konkpenebie, konkyekommo, sokyere, doosoglaa, nyogebaliere, and the rest of them. He was baptized in Jirapa in 1933.

Education. Studied at the Minor Seminary of Navrongo; at St.Peter`s Major Seminary, Wiagha (philosophy and theology); at the University of St. Francis Xavier, Antigonish, Canada (diploma in social studies, 1958), and at the International Catechetical Institute "Lumen vitae", Brussels, Belgium. Obtained a doctorate in theology.

Priesthood. Ordained, February 11, 1951, St. Theresa's church, Nandom, by Gerard Bertrand, M. Afr., bishop of Tamale. (No further information found yet).

Episcopate. Elected first bishop of Wa, March 16, 1960. Consecrated, May 8, 1960, patriarchal Vatican basilica, by Pope John XXIII, assisted by Napoléon-Alexandre La Brie, titular bishop of Ilta, national director of the Pontifical Missionary Work of Canada, French sector, and by Fulton John Sheen, titular bishop of Cesariana, auxiliary of New York, national director of the Pontifical Missionary Work of the United States of America. In the same ceremony were consecrated future Cardinals Paul Zoungrana, M.Afr., archbishop of Ouagadougou; Jérôme Rakotomalala, archbishop of Tananarive; and Bernard Yago, archbishop of Abidjan. His episcopal motto was "Apostolus Jesu Christi". As soon as he was installed as bishop, he requested permission from Rome to translate the Ordinary of the mass into Dagare and have it sung in local melodies, accompanied by local musical instruments; permission was given and the bishop himself composed the first Dagare mass. It was a milestone in the Africanization of the church in Ghana. Laity involvement, the education of the youth and vocations promotion were his three other main goals. Participated in the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965. Apostolic administrator, sede vacante of Tamale. Transferred to the see of Tamale, November 18, 1974. Promoted to metropolitan archbishop of Tamale when the see was elevated to that rank, May 30, 1977. President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference from 1982 to 1988. Attended the II Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 24 to December 8,1985; and the VII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 30, 1987. Resigned the government of the archdiocese, March 26, 1994.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of March 24, 2006; received the red biretta and the deaconry of S. Elena fuori Porta Prenestina, March 24, 2006. He was older than eighty years at the time of his promotion to the cardinalate and thus not eligible to participate in a conclave.

Birth. July 24, 1923, Hazebrouck Nord, France. Received the sacrament of confirmation in Watten (Nord).

Education. He did his secondary studies at the Minor Seminary of Hazebrouck. During the Second World War, he was made to work in a factory producing gunpowder for the German war effort. In order to avoid being sent to work in Nazi Germany, he traveled clandestinely on foot across the entire width of France to reach the unoccupied zone. It was there that he entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in Le Vignau, Landes, on September 12, 1941. Jesuit Juniorate, Yzeure (Allier), 1944-1946; Jesuit Scholasticate, Vals-prés-le Puy (Haute-Loire), 1947-1950 (licentiate in Scholastic philosophy); Jesuit Scholasticate, Enghien, Belgium, 1951-1955 (licentiate in theology); Pontifical Biblical Institute, Roma, 1956-1958 (licentiate in Sacred Scriptures); Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, 1963 (doctorate in Sacred Scriptures).

Priesthood. Ordained, July 25, 1954, Enghien, by Henri Dupont, auxiliary bishop of Lille. Professor of classical Greek, Jesuit Scholasticate, Yzeure, 1946-1947 and 1950-1951. From 1959 to 1962, professor of exegesis of the New Testament, Jesuit Scholasticate, Chantilly; and at the Seminary des Missions in Chantilly (Oise) while he redacted his doctoral thesis. Professor of exegesis of the New Testament, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Roma, from 1963. Dean of the Biblical Faculty of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1969-1990; during those years, Carlo Maria Martini, S.J., future cardinal, was the rector of the institute. Consultor of the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1990- .Consultor of the Congregation for Catholic Education, 1978-1999. Consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, 1980-1996. Member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, 1984-1990; its secretary, 1990-2001, under the presidency of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (International and intercontextual) from 1964; member of the committee, 1975-1979; president, 1995. Member of the Association Catholique Francaise pour l'Étude de la Bible and of its foundation. Participated in Colloquio Ecumenico Paolino, major basilica of S. Paolo fuori le Mura, Roma; president of the colloquy of 1995. Member of the Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense; president of the colloquy of 1984. Attended the Seventh Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 1 to 30, 1987; assistant to the special secretary of the synod. Director of the collection Analecta Biblica. He has published seventeen books, numerous articles in scholarly journals, collective volumes, acts of congresses and entries in encyclopedias. His specialization was in the New Testament letters of St. Paul.

Episcopate. He requested to be dispensed from the requirement of episcopal ordination and the dispensation was granted by Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of March 24, 2006; received the red biretta and the deaconry of S. Maria della Mercede e Sant'Adriano a Villa Albani, March 24, 2006. His coat of arms was designed by American ecclesiastical heraldic artist George N. Cannizzaro. His cardinalitial motto was "Cordi Tuo Unitus". He was older than eighty years at the time of his promotion to the cardinalate and thus not eligible to participate in a conclave. Director of the annual spiritual exercises of the pope and the Roman Curia, February 10 to 16, 2008. Attended the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 5 to 26, 2008, on "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church"; by papal appointment. Since 2013, he resided in the Jesuit community for elderly and sick priests, near the Vatican. Opted for the order of cardinal priests in the consistory of June 20, 2016 and his deaconry was elevated pro hac vice to title. Some of his main works are La structure littéraire de l'Epître aux Hébreux, Desclée de Brouwer, Tournai, 1963; Situation du Christ. Epître aux hébreux 1 et 2, Paris, 1969; Prêtres anciens, prêtre nouveau selon le Nouveau Testament, Paris, 1980; La lettre aux Hébreux: Jésus-Christ, médiateur d'une nouvelle alliance, Paris, 2002; The Letter to the Hebrews : A new commentary, New York: Paulist, 2015; Il sangue dell'alleanza - Esercizi spirituali sulla vita eucaristica, Roma, Edizioni San Paolo, 2021.