The Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Lima, turns 80 and therefore leaves the list of cardinal electors in a future conclave: indeed, he was born on December 28, 1943, in Lima.

In his youth, he was a basketball player, and after studying engineering, he joined Opus Dei in 1962.

He moved first to Rome and then to Spain to study at the University of Navarra, where he obtained a degree in Theology.

He was ordained a priest on August 21, 1977, and taught theology in Lima.

On May 23, 1988, Pope John Paul II made him titular bishop of Turuzi and appointed him auxiliary of Ayacucho. He was consecrated by Cardinal Juan Lanzaduri Ricketts, the then Metropolitan Archbishop of Lima.

On May 31, 1991, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Ayacucho and became Metropolitan Archbishop.

On January 9, 1999, he was promoted to Metropolitan Archbishop of Lima and Primate of Peru. He succeeded Cardinal Augusto Vargas Alzamora.

John Paul II created him Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church in the consistory of February 21, 2001, of the titular church of Saint Camillus de Lellis, thus becoming the first member of Opus Dei to be made a Cardinal.

He participated in the Synods of 2001 and 2005 and took part in the conclaves of 2005 and 2013.

He has been Archbishop Emeritus of Lima since January 25, 2019, having reached the age limit.

Cardinal Cipriani is the last cardinal to turn 80 in 2023. The Sacred College is, therefore, currently comprised of 132 cardinal electors and 108 non-electors, for a total of 240 cardinals.

This article was originally published on ACI Stampa.