Matteo Maria Zuppi ([matˈtɛːo maˈriːa tˈtsuppi, - dˈdzuppi]; born 11 October 1955) is an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Bologna since 2015. He was previously an auxiliary bishop of Rome from 2012 to 2015.
Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2019. He has been president of the Episcopal Conference of Italy since 2022. During this time, Zuppi opposed right-wing populism, nationalism and anti-immigrant beliefs, emphasizing Europe's moral duty to welcome migrants. These views resulted in clashes with Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy's Lega Party, alongside other individuals of the Italian right. He was a voice of support for the 2018 Vatican-China Agreement, which allows the pope to approve and veto bishops approved by the Chinese Communist Party. He has written three books on Catholicism and additionally contributed an essay to the Italian translation of James Martin's Building a Bridge. As a close associate of Pope Francis, who supported many of his initiatives, Zuppi was seen as a leading contender in the 2025 papal conclave.
