Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop of Lima and Primate of Peru, was born on December 28, 1943 in Lima. A champion basketball player, he studied industrial engineering at the National Institute of Engineering and joined Opus Dei in 1962. After working as an engineer, he was ordained for the Prelature on August 21, 1977 and holds a doctorate in theology from the University of Navarre.

He did pastoral work in Lima and taught moral theology at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology. He was later Regional Vicar for Peru and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Piura.

On May 23, 1988 he was appointed titular Bishop of Turuzi and Auxiliary of Ayacucho, receiving episcopal ordination on July 3.

He was promoted to Archbishop of Ayacucho on May 13, 1995.

He tried to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the siege of the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima (December 1996 to April 1997) and ministered to the Japanese and Peruvian hostages.

He was named Archbishop of Lima on January 9, 1999.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by John Paul II in the Consistory of February 21, 2001, of the Title of S. Camillo de Lellis (St. Camillus de Lellis).

Member of:

• Congregations: for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; for Causes of Saints;
• Pontifical Commission for Latin America;
• Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Affairs of the Holy See;
• XI Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.