Betori Giuseppe

Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Florence, was born in Foligno on 25 February 1947. The son of Antonio Betori and Lina Martelloni, who were active in Catholic Action, he completed his studies in the seminaries of Foligno and Assisi and trained in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Biblical Institute.
Ordained a priest on 26 September 1970 for the diocese of Foligno by Bishop Siro Silvestri, he taught Sacred Scripture at the Theological Institute of Assisi from 1973 to 2001. He received his doctorate from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in January 1981, with a thesis on the structural analysis of the Acts of the Apostles. In Foligno he has been a parish priest, diocesan assistant of Catholic Action, member of various diocesan councils and general secretary of the diocesan synod.
He has worked with the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) since 1978, in particular for the drafting of catechisms and various documents. He was director of the National Catechetical Office from 1991 to 1996. From September 1996 to April 2001 he was Under-Secretary of the CEI, coordinating the pastoral offices and the Cultural Project. He oversaw the organisation of important national and ecclesial events.
On 5 April 2001, John Paul II appointed him Secretary General of CEI and titular bishop of Falerone. He was ordained bishop on 6 May 2001 in Foligno by Cardinal Ruini. He continued to follow the Cultural Project and prepared significant events such as the ecclesial convention in Verona (2006) and the meeting of young people with Benedict XVI in Loreto (2007).
On 8 September 2008 he was promoted to Metropolitan Archbishop of Florence, taking possession of the archdiocese on 26 October 2008. In 2009 he was elected president of the Tuscan Bishops’ Conference. He took part in the conclave of March 2013 that elected Pope Francis.
He was created and published Cardinal by Benedict XVI in the Consistory of 18 February 2012. He is currently a Member of the Dicasteries for the Clergy and the Causes of Saints. On 18 April 2024 Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Florence.

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