Who is Giovanni Battista Re? The cardinal presiding over Pope Francis' funeral

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Presiding over the late Pope Francis' funeral on April 26 will be one of his key advisers and the head of cardinal electors tasked with selecting the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91, was born in Brescia, Italy, and has spent five decades serving in the Roman curia. In January, he became the dean of the College of Cardinals, the most senior figures of the Catholic Church who decide the next pope in a highly secretive ritual called a papal conclave.

However, Re won't participate in the upcoming conclave as cardinals over the age of 80 are excluded from voting. He has previously participated in two conclaves, including the one in 2013 in which Francis succeeded the late Pope Benedict.

Here is what to know about Re, his life's work and his relationship with Pope Francis.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re's rise to influence within the Vatican

Re was ordained for the Diocese of Brescia in 1957 and holds a doctorate in canon law from Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, according to his Vatican biography.

He began his career in the Vatican in 1963 when he joined the Roman curia. He taught for years in the Brescia seminary before he entered the Holy See's diplomatic service. There, he served in missions in Panama and Iran until until he served as personal secretary to Archbishop Giovanni Benelli, the Holy See Press Office said.

For more than a decade, he was responsible for the daily operations of the Holy See as the Substitute for General Affairs of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II selected Re to be the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, an influential role in which Re played a central role in the appointment of bishops across the globe.

The following year, he became a cardinal and went on to participate in the conclave of April 2005, which ended with a majority vote for Pope Benedict XVI, and the conclave of March 2013, which anointed Pope Francis to the Vatican's top position.

In 2020, Re was elected dean and began a five year term, which Francis extended in February.

An affable leader who had Pope Francis' ear

In a biography on the College of Cardinals website, Re is described as having an "affable manner and efficient approach to issues and conflicts."

Francis in an interview said Re was someone who openly disagreed with him, "but whose advice and opinion he nevertheless values," according to the Katholisch news outlet.

On April 22, in Vatican City's St. Peter’s Square, Re led the Rosary for Francis, who he hailed as "a pilgrim of hope," reported Vatican News.

"Hearing the words echo in our hearts, ‘Do not forget to pray for me,’ which we heard so many times from Pope Francis, we want to pray for him this evening," he said before inviting the crowd of mourners to “thank the Lord for the gifts he gave to the whole church through the apostolic ministry of Pope Francis."