Filippo Santoro

Filippo Santoro served as Archbishop of Taranto from 2011 to 2023 and is currently Archbishop Emeritus of the same Archdiocese.
In 1984, he left as a fidei donum missionary for the Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. From 1988 to 1996, he was responsible for Communion and Liberation in Brazil and Latin America. In 1992, he was a member of the Holy See’s delegation to the World Conference on the Environment and participated in the IV General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate. In 1996, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and, in 2004, Bishop of the Diocese of Petrópolis, in Brazil. He took part in the Synod of Bishops in 2008 and 2012.
In September 2021, he was appointed by Pope Francis as Special Delegate of the Lay Association “Memores Domini,” a role he held until November 2024. From 2015 to 2021, he served as President of the Episcopal Commission of the Italian Episcopal Conference for social issues and labor, justice, peace, and the care of creation, as well as President of the Scientific and Organizing Committee of the Social Weeks of Italian Catholics. He is the author of several theological and philosophical publications.
In 2025, he intensified his commitment to issues of peace and the Church’s social doctrine: he was a guest at “Libro Possibile Winter” with a speech dedicated to the culture of peace; he led a mission to the Holy Land for the association “L’Isola che non c’è,” promoting dialogue and encounter; he offered theological reflections on the interpretation of social doctrine; he also participated in the funeral celebrations of Pope Francis in Rome, concelebrating the liturgy.