Claudio Gugerotti was born in
Verona, Italy, on 7 October 1955 and was ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Verona on 29 May 1982. He earned degrees in Eastern languages and literature and in sacred liturgy. He taught patristics at the San Zeno Theological Institute in Verona from 1981 to 1984, and theology and Eastern liturgy at the Institute of Ecumenical Studies in Verona from 1982 to 1985. In 1985, he joined the
Roman Curia, working at the
Congregation for the Eastern Churches; he became its undersecretary on 17 December 1997. He has also taught patristics and Armenian language and literature at the
Pontifical Oriental Institute. He was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to
Azerbaijan on 13 December. He received his episcopal consecration from John Paul on 6 January 2002. Gugerotti speaks beside his mother tongue
Italian,
Armenian,
English,
Greek,
Kurdish and
Russian.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to
Belarus on 15 July 2011. On 13 November 2015,
Pope Francis appointed him
Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine. On 4 July 2020, Pope Francis appointed him
Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain. On 21 November 2022, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. On 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced he plans to make him a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 30 September. At that consistory he was made Cardinal-Deacon of
Sant'Ambrogio della Massima. He participated as a
cardinal elector in the
2025 papal conclave that elected
Pope Leo XIV. On 27 October 2025 met
Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus. ==See also==