Matteo Zuppi


Matteo Maria Zuppi
Archbishop of Bologna
Zuppi in 2025
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseBologna
SeeBologna
Appointed27 October 2015
Installed12 December 2015
PredecessorCarlo Caffarra
Other post(s)
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination9 May 1981
by Renato Spallanzani
Consecration14 April 2012
by Agostino Vallini
Created cardinal5 October 2019
by Pope Francis
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born
Matteo Maria Zuppi

(1955-10-11) 11 October 1955
Rome, Italy
DenominationRoman Catholic
Alma materPontifical Lateran University
Sapienza University of Rome
MottoGaudium Domini fortitudo vestra
(The joy of the Lord is your strength)
Coat of arms

Matteo Maria Zuppi ([matˈtɛːo maˈriːa tˈtsuppi, - dˈdzuppi]; born 11 October 1955) is an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Bologna since 2015. He was previously an auxiliary bishop of Rome from 2012 to 2015.

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2019. He has been president of the Episcopal Conference of Italy since 2022. During this time, Zuppi opposed right-wing populism, nationalism and anti-immigrant beliefs, emphasizing Europe's moral duty to welcome migrants. These views resulted in clashes with Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy's Lega Party, alongside other individuals of the Italian right. He was a voice of support for the 2018 Vatican-China Agreement, which allows the pope to approve and veto bishops approved by the Chinese Communist Party. He has written three books on Catholicism and additionally contributed an essay to the Italian translation of James Martin's Building a Bridge. As a close associate of Pope Francis, who supported many of his initiatives, Zuppi was seen as a leading contender in the 2025 papal conclave.