Guido Marini (born 31 January 1965) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the bishop of Tortona in northern Italy. A priest since 1989, from 2007 to 2021 he was Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies, serving under

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

and

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

. Before joining the papal household, Marini worked in the Archdiocese of Genoa, where he was the personal secretary to three archbishops from 1988 to 2003, chief liturgist from 2004 to 2007, and chancellor from 2005 to 2007.

Early years

Marini was born in

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

on 31 January 1965 and studied at the Liceo Colombo. He earned his B.A. in theology at the seminary in Genoa and was ordained a priest on 4 February 1989 by Cardinal Giovanni Canestri. He then earned a degree in both canon and civil law ( JUD) from the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

with a dissertation on problems of church-state relations in the early 20th century. He held the following positions in Genoa: secretary to the archbishop of Genoa from 1988 to 2003; master of liturgical celebrations from 2003 to 2007; member of the archdiocesan Council of Priests from 1996 to 2001; spiritual director of the seminary in Genoa from 2004 to 2007; and Chancellor of the Archdiocese from 2005 to 2007. He earned a degree in the psychology of communication in 2007 from the

Salesian Pontifical University The Salesian Pontifical University (; ) is a pontifical university in Italy run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. It has three campuses, one in Rome, one in Turin, and one in Jerusalem. The Salesian Pontifical University is an ordinary member of ...

Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations

Marini was named Master of Pontifical Liturgical Ceremonies on 1 October 2007, appointed to another five-year term by Benedict XVI, confirmed in that office by Pope Francis in April 2014, and appointed to another five-year term in 2017. Francis also named him a member of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named the Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches (), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible f ...

on 19 February 2014. Following his appointment as Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, the Papal Altar was rearranged with the seven candles and crucifix placed in a line across the altar rather than clustered on the sides. Discussing the changes he was implementing he said that compared to the liturgies celebrated under his predecessor, "now there is a different style, one that is more sober and more attentive to the essential things". In a January 2010 speech, Marini supported calls in the Church for a "reform of the reform" of the liturgy. He said: "For some years now, several voices have been heard within Church circles talking about the necessity of a new liturgical renewal," adding that a new renewal movement would be "capable of operating a reform of the reform, or rather, move one more step ahead in understanding the authentic spirit of the liturgy and its celebration." In 2015 Pope Francis made changes to the public ceremony of investiture of the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

on metropolitan archbishops emphasizing that the investiture is an ecclesial event of the whole diocese, and not merely a juridical or ceremonial event. Marini said that from now on – starting from 29 June 2015 – the ceremony of investiture of the pallium will take place in each metropolitan archbishop's home diocese and not in the Vatican. Marini also made decisions about the use of

vestments Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; amo ...

at Mass and other pontifical celebrations, dressing

cardinal deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. C ...

s in

dalmatic The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, United Methodist, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or other ...

s when serving at pontifical celebrations. In 2019, Pope Francis made Marini's office responsible for the

Sistine Chapel Choir The Sistine Chapel Choir, as it is generally called in English, or officially the Coro della Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina in Italian, is the Pope's personal choir. It performs at papal functions in the Sistine Chapel and in any other chur ...

, which until then operated independently within the papal household. From the time of his priestly ordination, first in Genoa and then in Rome, he preached and provided spiritual direction, at times working with youth groups and communities of religious.

Papal conclave 2013

Marini was Master of Ceremonies in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis. On 11 March 2013, the day before the conclave, at a ceremony presided over by the Camerlengo

Tarcisio Bertone Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone (born 2 December 1934) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church and a Vatican City, Vatican diplomat. A Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal since 2003, he served as Archbishop of Vercelli from 1991 to 1995, as S ...

, Marini led the non-cardinal officials, support staff and other non-elector personnel with duties in the conclave in taking an oath of secrecy pertaining to the conclave. The next day, after the cardinal-electors had taken their oath in the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...

, Marini called out the command "''Extra omnes''" (Everyone out) and closed the chapel doors once all outsiders had left the chapel.

Bishop

On 29 August 2021, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Tortona. Pope Francis consecrated him as a bishop in St. Peter's Basilica on 17 October, with Marini's installation in Tortona following on 7 November.

Works

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marini, Guido Living people 1965 births 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Liturgists 2013 papal conclave Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis Pontifical Lateran University alumni 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Bishops of Tortona