Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri is a retired senior Vatican diplomat who became best known later in life for playing a key role in organizing the controversial 2014 and 2015 Synods on the Family.

Born on September 29, 1940, in Barga, Italy, Baldisseri was ordained as a priest in 1963 at the young age of 22 for the Archdiocese of Pisa. He holds a license in dogmatic theology and a doctorate in canon law, and is also an accomplished pianist who studied at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, and then studied polyphony and sacred music with Domenico Bartolucci.

The Italian prelate had an extensive diplomatic career spanning over two decades. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1973 and went on to serve as Apostolic Nuncio to several countries, including Haiti (1992-1995) during a time of conflict, social tension and violence, Paraguay (1995-1999), India and Nepal (1999-2002), and Brazil (2002-2012). Between 1986 and 1991 he served at the pontifical representation of Zimbabwe.

During his time in Brazil, Baldisseri achieved a significant agreement regulating the juridical status of the Church in the country, which became a model for other religions seeking agreements with the Brazilian state.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Baldisseri Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and Secretary of the College of Cardinals. He served as the secretary of the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, who, in a symbolic gesture, gave Baldisseri his own red zucchetto at the end of the conclave, indicating his intention to make him a cardinal.

In September 2013, Pope Francis named Baldisseri the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, a position he held until September 2020. In this role, he was responsible for organizing synod operations according to the pope’s vision of radically revamping its working methods.

Pope Francis elevated Baldisseri to the rank of Cardinal-Deacon on February 22, 2014, assigning him to the deaconry of Sant’Anselmo all’Aventino. He was appointed a member of the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He remains a member of the latter, according to the Vatican. On July 1, 2024, Baldisseri joined the order of cardinal-priests.

In May 2014 and in the context of the first Synod on the Family, Baldisseri made headlines when he suggested in a newspaper interview that it was time to update Church doctrine concerning divorce and civil partnerships. He stated, “The Church is not timeless, she lives amidst the vicissitudes of history and the Gospel must be known and experienced by people today.” This statement was seen as controversial as it appeared to be a departure from established Church teachings.

Cardinal Baldisseri was involved in several controversies surrounding the 2014 Extraordinary Synod on the Family primarily revolving around manipulation allegations.

These included that he tried to predetermine the outcome of the Synod’s deliberations and documents; that under his leadership, experts recommended by institutes known for their fidelity to Catholic moral teaching were deliberately excluded while “progressive” experts were retained; and that the cardinal was involved in the controversial removal of books co-authored by five cardinals from the mailboxes of synod fathers, claiming their distribution was not “opportune.”

The allegations led in part to a letter of 13 cardinals ahead of the 2015 Synod on the Family in which they expressed concerns to the Pope about the synod’s working document and that the synod procedures were leading “to a predetermined conclusion.”

The cardinal strongly denied the allegations of manipulation, saying the changes were part of Pope Francis’ vision for greater participation and “synodality” in the Church.

Cardinal Baldisseri speaks Italian and some English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.