Luis José Rueda Aparicio was born in San Gil, Santander, on 3 March 1962, the tenth of eleven siblings. Before entering the seminary he worked with his father, Luis Emilio, in construction, newspaper sales and a cement factory. He began philosophy studies at the San Carlos Conciliar Seminary in San Gil on 31 January 1983 and studied theology at the archdiocesan seminary of Bucaramanga from 1986 to 1989. He was ordained a priest on 23 November 1989, and later earned a licentiate in moral theology at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome (1992–1994), alongside parish posts and seminary formation work in his home diocese.
On 2 February 2012 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Montelíbano; he received episcopal ordination in San Gil cathedral on 4 April 2012 and took possession of the diocese on 28 April. Pope Francis appointed him Archbishop of Popayán on 19 May 2018 — where he dedicated 2020 as a 'Year of Fraternity' for social solidarity and ecological conversion — and Metropolitan Archbishop of Bogotá on 25 April 2020; he took office in Bogotá on 11 June 2020. He was apostolic administrator of Soacha from 13 May 2021 to 25 June 2022, and on 6 July 2021 he was elected president of the Colombian bishops' conference for 2021–2024. He has been an outspoken supporter of the 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC and has repeatedly protested against the assassination of social leaders.
Pope Francis created him a cardinal in the consistory of 30 September 2023, assigning him the titular church of San Luca a Via Prenestina. He is a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
Consequential Quotes
We must respect the lives of others, that is the supreme gift. Without life we can do nothing. That's why we reject all forms of violence because it’s fratricidal.
The second greatest value next to human life is the dignity of each person. We all possess dignity because we have been created by the love of God and his fingerprints are on our conscience and in our history. There we find a key to fraternity and not to hatred or rejection.
Let us pray for our country, that the Lord shows us with his Holy Spirit the paths of reconciliation.
Reconciliation requires the ability to see the other as a brother. Jesus has told us: We are all children of the same Father.
Yes, that anti-culture of hatred that leads us to eliminate each other and that has left many families in Colombia in mourning. There in the midst of that conflict and that horror of war, which we cannot get used to, the members of the Church have been sowing seeds of the kingdom and interweaving with hope an ethic of forgiveness, reconciliation and mercy.
Major Works & Initiatives
Bishop of Montelíbano
Appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 2 February 2012 and consecrated on 4 April 2012; served the Córdoba diocese until his transfer to Popayán in 2018.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Bogotá
Appointed by Pope Francis on 25 April 2020 and took office on 11 June 2020; as archbishop of the capital he is Primate of Colombia.
President of the Colombian Episcopal Conference
Elected on 6 July 2021 for the three-year period 2021–2024; led the conference during its accompaniment of peace efforts and the annual National Day of Prayer for Reconciliation and Peace.
Cardinal-Priest of San Luca a Via Prenestina
Created cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 30 September 2023; member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Controversies
On the record
No significant public controversies reported.