Giovanni Battista Re was born on January 30, 1934, in Italy.
Giovanni Battista Re has held various positions in the Secretariat of State since 1971.
Under Pope John Paul II, Giovanni Battista Re was sostituto, the man in the Secretariat of State responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Vatican. After September, 2000, he became head of the Congregation of Bishops, the Vatican department in charge of the careers of prelates.
Giovanni Battista Re has staunchly defended tradition, but he has also been something of a moderate — for example, expressing support for greater decentralization and giving more power to local churches. He is also known as having been fiercely loyal to John Paul II.
Giovanni Battista Re is reported as being very friendly and personable. His personal connections with cardinals all over the world should prove helpful in any election. He is also one of the most popular of the Italian cardinals and the Italian contingent is very disciplined. There is a sense that they would like to have another Italian pope, and if they can get their way, Re is a strong choice. The fact that he knows the inner workings of the Vatican so well should also help him.
