Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, was born in Schiavon, Italy, on 17 January 1955. At the age of 14 he entered the seminary of Vicenza and was ordained a priest on 27 April 1980.

In 1983, he joined the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 July 1986, subsequently serving in Nigeria and Mexico. In 1986 he also obtained a degree in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Since 2000 he has worked with the then Bishop Attilio Nicora on matters pertaining to the implementation of the 1984 modifications to the Lateran Concordat, with particular reference to the military ordinariate. On 30 November 2002 he was appointed Undersecretary of the Section of the Secretariat of State for Relations with States.

Particularly expert in matters concerning the Middle East, and more generally in those regarding the geo-political situation of the Asian continent, he has worked specifically to build up and reinforce relations between the Holy See and Vietnam. He also contributed to reopening dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, convinced of the need for a shared effort to “create the conditions for a true and just peace” in the Middle East. In December 2008 he led the delegation that took part in the work of the Permanent Bilateral Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel. On several occasions he has acted as spokesman for the Apostolic See expressing its wish to work with international organizations to safeguard the basic rights of the person, including religious freedom.

On 17 August 2009 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela and was elevated to the dignity of Archbishop, being assigned the titular Episcopal See of Acquapendente. He received episcopal ordination on 12 September 2009.

On 31 August 2013, Pope Francis appointed him Secretary of State and he entered into office on 15 October.

He is a member of the Council of Cardinals established to advise Pope Francis in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Pastor Bonus.

He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the Consistory of 22 February 2014, and was assigned the titular church Santi Simone e Giuda Taddeo a Torre Angela.

On 26 June 2018, with the Rescriptum ex Audentia Ss.mi, Pope Francis decided to co-opt Cardinal Pietro Parolin into the Order of Bishops, equating him in all respects with the cardinals who have been given the title of a suburbicarian church.

On 7 March 2023 Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Parolin as a member of the new Council upon the expiry of the preceding mandate.

Member of:

• Dicasteries: for the Doctrine of the Faith; for the Eastern Churches; for Evangelization; for Bishops; for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
• Council of Cardinals.