Meet Matteo Zuppi, Italian “Street Father” between favorites for conclave

Bologna Archbishop, Matteo Zuppi, appears among the main candidates for the Conclave, who will elect Pope Francis’ successor in early May.

Specialists heard by CNN They pointed out that Zuppi, besides carrying a wide diplomatic experience, is seen as a skilled political articulator.

When Zuppi was promoted in 2015 and took over the Bologna Archdiocese, local press referred to him as the “Italian Bergoglio”, due to his affinity with Francisco, whose baptism is Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

Zuppi would be the first Italian pope since 1978.

Like Pope Francis when he lived in Buenos Aires, Zuppi is known as a “street priest” that focuses on migrants and the poor, and cares little about pomp and protocol.

He meets the name of “Father Matteo” and, in Bologna, sometimes uses a bike instead of an official car.

In a city known internationally for worshiping meat, Zuppi caused frenzy when Tortellini without pork was served as an option on the day of the party of the patron saint of Bologna.

He called the favorable attitude to Muslims (who do not eat pork) of a normal gesture of respect and courtesy.

An article by Vatican Specialist Marco Roncalli, Translated by the Humanitas Unisinos Institutehe points out that Zuppi “has become a point of reference in the urban life of Catholics and non -Catholics, believers and non -believers, almost a civil authority beyond religious, with immense ability to mediate and concert.”


Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, celebrates Christmas Eve Mass at the train station on December 24, 2024 in Bologna, Italy.

If he were elected Pope, the conservatives would probably see him with suspicion.

Victims of sexual abuse in the church could also oppose him, as the Italian Catholic Church, which he has led since 2022, has been slow to investigate and confront the issue.

The Italian cardinal is closely associated with the community of Santo Egidio, a global Catholic group of peace and justice based in the historic Roman neighborhood of Trastevere, where he spent most of his life as a priest.

Saint Egidio, sometimes called the “UN of Trastevere”, brokered a 1992 peace agreement that ended a 17 -year civil war in Mozambique, with the help of Zuppi as one of the mediators.

He has recently been involved in diplomacy as a papal sent to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, focusing on efforts to repact children who, according to Ukraine, were deported to Russia or to Russian-controlled territories.

Zuppi is a born Roman, with a very strong regional accent and solid Catholic family roots.

His father, Enrico, was editor of the Sunday supplement of the Vatican Journal L’Osservatore Romano, while his mother’s uncle Carlo Confalonieri was also a cardinal.

This content was originally published in Meet Matteo Zuppi, “Street Father” Italian between Favorites for Conclave on CNN Brazil.

Source: CNN Brasil

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