Cardinal Leonardo Sandri is a retired Argentine Holy See diplomat and senior Vatican official who served as deputy Vatican secretary of state under Pope St. John Paul II and announced the Polish pontiff’s death to the world in 2005.

Cardinal Sandri is currently vice dean of the College of Cardinals.

Born on November 18, 1943, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Italian immigrant parents, Sandri began his journey in the priesthood after studying humanities, philosophy, and theology at the Metropolitan Seminary of Buenos Aires. He was ordained priest on December 2, 1967, by Archbishop Juan Carlos Aramburu.

Following his ordination, Sandri pursued further studies, earning a Licentiate in Theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and later a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University. His diplomatic career in the Holy See began in 1974 when he became an official of the Apostolic Nunciature in Madagascar and Mauritius.

Sandri’s career progressed rapidly, serving in various important roles within the Vatican. He worked in the Vatican Secretariat of State and served as a permanent observer of the Holy See before the Organization of American States from 1989 to 1991. In 1997, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela, becoming the first Argentinian to hold this title.

In 2000, Sandri was named Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, and later that year, he became the Substitute (deputy) for General Affairs in the Secretariat of State, a key administrative position in the Roman Curia. During Pope John Paul II’s declining health, Sandri often read aloud the texts that the Pope could not deliver himself. Notably, on April 2, 2005, he announced the death of Pope John Paul II to the world from St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Sandri as Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in 2007, a position he held until 2022. In the same year, he was created Cardinal-Deacon of San Carlo ai Catinari. Throughout his career, Sandri has been involved in various important matters within the Church, including addressing the emigration of Christians from the Holy Land and calling for an end to the forced removal of Christians from Iraq and Syria.

In 2018, Pope Francis elevated Sandri to the rank of Cardinal Bishop, and in 2020, he was elected as vice dean of the College of Cardinals.