Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello is a former Italian head of Vatican City State who had a distinguished career in Holy see diplomacy but became widely known at the end of his career for implementing some of the world’s most stringent anti-Covid protocols.

Born on October 1, 1942, in Foglizzo near Turin, he earned a license in pastoral theology and a doctorate in canon law before attending the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy where he studied diplomacy.

He was ordained as a priest on June 29, 1966, and holds a license in pastoral theology and a doctorate in canon law.

Bertello entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1971, serving initially in Sudan until 1973. His diplomatic career saw significant growth when Pope John Paul II appointed him as Titular Archbishop of Urbs Salvia and Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Togo, and Benin in 1987.

He was later transferred to Rwanda in 1990, where he played a crucial role during a tumultuous period in the country’s history. While there, he supported human rights organizations and encouraged Catholic bishops to unite as forceful advocates for ending civil war. He remained at his post and traveled into dangerous regions to bear witness to the Tutsi Genocide in 1994.

Bertello’s diplomatic acumen led to his appointment as the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva in 1997. In this role, he successfully negotiated the Holy See’s status as a permanent observer in the World Trade Organization, becoming its first representative that year.

His career continued to flourish with appointments as Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico in 2000 and later to Italy and San Marino in 2006. These positions allowed him to further strengthen the Vatican’s diplomatic ties and influence in these regions.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bertello as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State. This marked his transition from diplomatic service to a key leadership role within the Vatican itself. In recognition of his service, he was created Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Vito, Modesto e Crescenzia in 2012.

Throughout his career, Bertello has received several prestigious honors. In 2007, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, and in 2008, he received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Cardinal Bertello was among the cardinal electors to elect Pope Francis in the 2013 conclave. Subsequently, Pope Francis appointed him to his Council of Cardinal Advisers, otherwise known as the C9, a select group tasked with advising on Church governance and the restructuring of the Roman Curia.

During the Covid crisis, Cardinal Bertello was instrumental in imposing on Vatican City State some of the most stringent protocols in the world at the express instruction of Pope Francis. These included the need for a “Green Pass” showing any entrant had received vaccination, and issuing a decree threatening employees with dismissal if they refused to receive a COVID-19 vaccination without legitimate health reasons. Bertello later was forced to walk back what became known as the “no jab, no job” instruction.

It is unclear what languages the cardinal speaks apart from his native Italian, but most likely English, French and Spanish given his time as nuncio.