Mario Zenari was born in Rosegaferro di Villafranca, in the province of Verona, Italy, on 5 January 1946, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Verona on 5 July 1970. With a degree in canon law, he entered the Holy See's diplomatic service in 1980, serving in Senegal, Liberia, Colombia, Germany and Romania. In 1994 he became Permanent Observer to the international organisations in Vienna — the IAEA, the OSCE, UNIDO and the UN office.
In 1999 John Paul II appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Ivory Coast and Niger, and shortly afterwards to Burkina Faso, raising him to the titular see of Zuglio. He went to Sri Lanka in 2004, and on 30 December 2008 Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Syria — a posting that would define his life. He remained in Damascus through the whole of the Syrian civil war, reporting on the suffering of Christians and the wider population and repeatedly pleading with the international community not to forget the country.
Pope Francis created him a cardinal on 19 November 2016, with the deaconry of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci. On 2 February 2026 Pope Leo XIV accepted his resignation as nuncio on reaching the age limit.
Major Works & Initiatives
Apostolic Nuncio to Syria
Seventeen years in Damascus, spanning the entire civil war.
Permanent Observer in Vienna
Represented the Holy See to the IAEA, OSCE and UN organisations in Vienna.
Controversies
On the record
No significant public controversies reported.