Pietro Parolin, Career Diplomat Leading Race To Be Pope

Source: International Business Times

Cardinal Pietro Parolin (C) played a key role in mediating a thaw between the United States and Cuba, as well as making a key Vatican agreement with China AFP A seasoned diplomat who worked with Pope Francis for 12 years, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is well-known in Rome and abroad, and a serious contender to be the next pontiff. The 70-year-old Italian was secretary of state -- the Vatican's effective number two -- for almost the entire Francis pontificate, and its most visible exponent on the world stage. With his air of calm and subtle sense of humour, Parolin is the consummate diplomat, a polyglot with experience in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.