Mauro Gambetti, OFM Conv. (born 27 October 1965) is an Italian Catholic prelate who has served as archpriest of

Saint Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian Renaissance architecture, Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the cit ...

, Vicar General for the Vatican City State, and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter since 2021. He was consecrated a

titular archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

on 22 November 2020 just before

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 ...

raised him to the rank of

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

on 28 November 2020. A member of the

Order of Friars Minor Conventual The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

since 1992, Gambetti held senior leadership positions in the order beginning in 2009 and served as General Custos of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in

Assisi Assisi (, also ; ; from ; Central Italian: ''Ascesi'') is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Prope ...

from 2013 to 2020.

Biography

Mauro Gambetti was born in

Castel San Pietro Terme Castel San Pietro Terme ( Eastern Bolognese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, with about 21,000 inhabitants. It is located along the Roman '' Via Emilia'', at the foot o ...

, Italy, on 27 October 1965. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

. He joined Order of Friars Minor Conventals in September 1992 and took his final vows on 20 September 1998. He obtained a bachelor's degree in theology at the Theological Institute of Assisi and a licentiate in theological anthropology at the Theological Faculty of Central Italy in Florence. He was ordained a priest on 8 January 2000 in Longiano. He was animator of youth and vocation ministry for Emilia-Romagna there and, from 2005 to 2009, also leader and animator of the religious community. In the spring of 2009 the members of the Bologna Province, who have responsibility for the convents of the Friars Minor Conventual of Emilia-Romagna, elected him to a four-year term as their superior. He held that position until 22 February 2013 when the leadership of the order appointed him to head the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of San Francesco in Assisi for a four-year term from 2013 to 2017, with the title General Custos. At the same time, the Bishop of Assisi appointed him Episcopal Vicar for the pastoral care of the

Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi (; ) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor Conventual in Assisi, a town in the Umbria region in central Italy, where Saint Francis was born and died. It is a papal minor basilica ...

and other places of worship run by the Friars Minor Conventual in that diocese. He was confirmed for another term as Custos General in 2017. From 2009 to 2013 he also served as president of the Italian Conference of Major Superiors (CISM) for Emilia Romagna and vice-president of the Intermediterranean Conference of Provincial Ministers (CIMP). Since 2010 he has been regional assistant of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) for Emilia-Romagna. He was elected President of the Intermediterranean Federation of Provincial Ministers of the Friars Minor Conventual in September 2017. On 25 October 2020,

announced he would raise him to the rank of

at a

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

scheduled for 28 November 2020. Gambetti is the first Conventual Franciscan to be made a cardinal since 1861. His term as General Custos was due to expire in 2021 but he was instead succeeded in that position on 12 November by Father Marco Moroni. As cardinals are required to be bishops, he was consecrated a bishop on 22 November in the Basilica of Assisi by Cardinal

Agostino Vallini Agostino Vallini (born 17 April 1940) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been a cardinal since 2006. From 2008 to 2017, he served as Vicar General of Rome. He is also the Archpriest emeritus of the Archbasilica of St. John L ...

, becoming titular archbishop of Thisiduo. At that consistory, Pope Francis made him cardinal deacon of

Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano The Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Trajan Forum (, ) is a Roman Catholic church (building), church in Rome, Italy. This church should not be confused with the church Santissimo Nome di Maria in Via Latina in south-east Rome. The pa ...

. Gambetti became the third youngest member of the College of Cardinals. On 16 December he was named a member of the

Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, formerly called Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (DICLSAL and formerly CICLSAL; ), is the dicastery of the Roman Cu ...

. On 20 February 2021, Pope Francis appointed him archpriest of

, Vicar General for the Vatican State, and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter. On 12 March 2021, the Vatican Secretariat of State ended the private celebration of Mass at the basilica's side altars and restricted the use of the Traditional Latin Mass to Clementine Chapel in the crypt of the basilica. In December 2021, Pope Francis named Gambetti chair of the newly created ''Fratelli tutti'' Vatican Foundation, formed to extend the work of the Fabric of Saint Peter, created at Gambetti's suggestion. Gambetti participated as a cardinal elector in the

2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...

that elected

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gambetti, Mauro Conventual Franciscan bishops People from Castel San Pietro Terme University of Bologna alumni 1965 births Living people Cardinals created by Pope Francis 21st-century Italian cardinals Franciscan cardinals

Biography

See also

References

External links