Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne was born in Lima on 28 December 1943. A chemical engineer with a doctorate from the University of Navarra, he was an Opus Dei numerary before his priestly ordination. He served as auxiliary bishop of Ayacucho, then Archbishop of Ayacucho (1995) during Peru's internal conflict, and on 9 January 1999 became Archbishop of Lima — a post he held until January 2019. John Paul II created him a cardinal in 2001: the first cardinal of Opus Dei.
He was Peru's most powerful conservative prelate for two decades — a fierce critic of liberation theology, whose feud with the theologian Carlos Castillo, once suspended from teaching by Cipriani, was ironically settled when Francis named Castillo to Cipriani's own see in 2019. In 2018 allegations surfaced of sexual abuse by Cipriani dating to his time at the Lima seminary; he denies them. The Vatican imposed a penal injunction — enforced residence outside Peru, no public statements, no cardinal's insignia — confirmed publicly in January 2025. He wore full cardinal dress at Pope Francis's lying-in-state regardless, drawing sharp criticism.
Major Works & Initiatives
Archbishop of Lima
Twenty years as Peru's primatial see-holder.
Archbishop of Ayacucho
Shepherded the Church in the Shining Path war's killing fields, and mediated in the 1996–97 Japanese embassy hostage crisis.
First Opus Dei cardinal
The prelature's first red hat.
Controversies
The abuse allegation and penal injunction
In 2018 an allegation of sexual abuse by Cipriani, dating to his years as a seminary formator decades earlier, reached the Vatican; he denies it. Francis imposed a penal injunction: he must live outside Peru, make no public statements, and not wear the cardinal's insignia — measures the Holy See confirmed in January 2025 after El País reported the case. He nevertheless appeared in full cardinal dress at Francis's lying-in-state in April 2025, a gesture critics called provocative. He did not take part in the 2025 conclave.