Cardinal Agostino Marchetto is a former Vatican diplomat who since his retirement has become known as one of the foremost experts on the hermeneutics of the Second Vatican Council.

Born on August 28, 1940, he began his journey towards the priesthood by attending the Patronato Leone XIII schools in Vicenza and later entering the seminary. On June 28, 1964, he was ordained as a priest in the Cathedral of Vicenza by Bishop Carlo Zinato.

Marchetto’s career in the Church hierarchy began to flourish when he was appointed titular archbishop of Astigi on August 31, 1985, serving as the Apostolic Nuncio to Madagascar and Mauritius. He was consecrated bishop in 1985 by Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio.

Throughout his career, Cardinal Marchetto held several significant positions within the Church. He served as the Apostolic Nuncio to Tanzania from December 1990, and later to Belarus from May 1994. His diplomatic service to the Holy See culminated in his return to the Roman Curia as an official of the Secretariat of State in July 1999.

In 2001, Pope John Paul II named him secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

After retiring from his position on August 25, 2010, Cardinal Marchetto dedicated himself to scholarly pursuits, particularly focusing on the hermeneutics of the Second Vatican Council. His expertise in this area has been widely recognized, with Pope Francis considering him “the greatest expert in hermeneutics” of the Council.

Marchetto advocates a “hermeneutic of continuity” in interpreting Vatican II, which sees the council as continuous with previous Church teaching rather than a rupture — a view that aligns with Pope Benedict XVI’s approach.¹He critiques the progressive “Bologna School” interpretation of Vatican II, which he says presents the council as a “Copernican revolution” or break with the past. Instead, Marchetto argues the council should be understood through its actual documents, not just its “spirit.” Marchetto also emphasizes that Vatican II cannot be freely interpreted, but must be understood in line with Church tradition. He stresses that while Vatican II was pastoral in nature, it still had doctrinal and dogmatic content. He states, “there is no pastoral if there is no dogmatic and doctrinal reality to support it.” Marchetto also views acceptance of Vatican II as essential for being in communion with the Catholic Church and states that someone who rejects Vatican II “places himself outside the Catholic Church.” Marchetto sees Vatican II as responding to the modern world while remaining rooted in Church tradition. He notes the council aimed to articulate what the Church is and what it can do for the contemporary world.

In 2006, Cardinal Marchetto made headlines by drawing attention to the connection between the World Cup in Germany and human trafficking for prostitution.

Cardinal Marchetto is multilingual, speaking Italian, French, English, and Spanish.

The culmination of his service to the Church came on in September 2023, when Pope Francis created him cardinal in recognition of his lifelong dedication and contributions to the Church.

Throughout his career, Cardinal Agostino Marchetto has demonstrated a commitment to pastoral care, diplomatic service, and scholarly pursuits.