Born to Foligno (Perugia) in 1947, ordained priest Sept. 26, 1970, he has been archbishop of Florence since Oct. 26, 2008. He studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Biblical Institute, where he earned a doctorate in Sacred Scripture. He has been a professor of introduction to Sacred Scripture and New Testament exegesis at the Theological Institute of Assisi. He has written several publications of a biblical and pastoral nature. A former director of the National Catechetical Office and then undersecretary of the Italian Bishops' Conference, he oversaw the publication of several volumes of the Catechism of the Italian Church, the organization of the Ecclesial Convention of Palermo (1995) and that of Verona (2006), the launch and development of the "cultural project," and the preparation of the 15th World Youth Day (2000). On April 5, 2001, he was appointed from Pope John Paul II secretary general of the Italian Bishops' Conference and titular bishop of Falerone. He is appointed archbishop of Florence on Sept. 8, 2008. In the Ordinary Public Consistory of Feb. 18, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI created him a Cardinal of Holy Roman Church.

A Franciscan diocesan nun incorporated in the Diocese of Perugia - Città della Pieve, she holds a licentiate in Moral Theology and a doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. She collaborates with magazines, radio and TV, with columns on to issues in the world of youth and social issues in general. A professor of Moral Theology at the Theological Institute and the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences in Assisi, he is president of Circolo Giorgio La Pira, a political formation school for young people in the Diocese of Perugia. An adult catechist, she is from many years involved in the evangelization of youth and adolescents