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The two Secretaries of State: Cardinal Sodano (Secretary of State of the Holy See) with Condoleezza Rice (Secretary of State of the U.S.).

Angelo Cardinal Sodano J.C.D. S.T.D. (born 23 November 1927) is the Dean of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Cardinal Secretary of State in the Roman Curia from 1991 to 2006, now holding the title of Cardinal Secretary Emeritus of State. Sodano was first appointed Secretary of State by Pope John Paul II and then reappointed by Pope Benedict XVI. In April 2005 he succeeded Benedict as Dean of the College of Cardinals. He was the first person to serve simultaneously as Dean and Secretary of State since 1828.

On 22 June 2006 it was announced that Benedict XVI, in accordance with Canon 354 of the Code of Canon Law, had accepted the resignation of Cardinal Sodano as Secretary of State, effective 15 September 2006. He was succeeded by Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone.

A native of Isola d'Asti (province of Asti, Italy), he was ordained a priest there on 23 September 1950 by Bishop Umberto Rossi. He served as a parish priest doing pastoral work in the diocese of Asti and faculty member of its seminary from 1950 until 1959. In 1959 he moved to Rome and entered the direct service of the Holy See, serving as a secretary of nunciatures in Latin America, and achieving the title of monsignor (he was named a chaplain of His Holiness the day Pope Paul VI was elected) before becoming an official of the Curial Council for Public Affairs of the Church in 1968.

On 30 November 1977, he was appointed a titular archbishop of Nova Caesaris and the apostolic nuncio to Chile, one of the countries where he had served as nunciature secretary. Whilst serving as nuncio, he began a lasting friendship with the then President Augusto Pinochet, and was criticized by progressives in subsequent years for not speaking out about the disappearances in Chile. He returned to Asti in 1978 to be consecrated a bishop (by Antonio Cardinal Samorè) before taking up his post.

He returned to Rome in 1988 as Secretary of the Council For Public Affairs of the Church, which in 1989 became the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State. (The occupant of this post is sometimes informally called the "Vatican foreign minister"). He became Pro-Secretary of State 1 December 1990, and full Secretary of State once he had been named a cardinal (with the title of S. Maria Nuova) in the consistory of 28 June 1991. He was created Cardinal Priest of S. Maria Nuova on 28 June 1991.

Styles of Angelo Cardinal Sodano
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Albano (suburbicarian), Ostia (suburbicarian)

On 10 January 1994, Pope John Paul II named him Cardinal Bishop of the suburbicarian see of Albano, and on 30 November 2002, exactly twenty-five years after he was first appointed a bishop, he was elected vice-dean of the College of Cardinals in succession to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Dean. With Ratzinger's election as Pope Benedict XVI Sodano performed the functions of the Dean at Benedict's Papal Inauguration, and on 30 April Benedict formally ratified Sodano's election to the position by the six suburbicarian Cardinal Bishops.

As Secretary of State, and due to the deteriorating health of John Paul II, it was Cardinal Sodano who was the principal celebrant at the funeral Masses for John Cardinal O'Connor and Mother Teresa. When he turned 75 in 2002 John Paul specifically invited him to stay on as Secretary of State, though this is the customary retirement age for heads of major Vatican departments (there is no retirement age for the Deanship or Vice-Deanship). He was close to John Paul II, though some have called him a less distinguished Secretary of State than his predecessors. He caused controversy near the end of John Paul's papacy by suggesting the pontiff could consider retiring. Sodano speaks Italian as well as German and English.

After the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005 Sodano was seldom seen as one of the papabili, or the cardinals likely to become the next pope, due to his advanced age (although he is seven months younger than John Paul's successor, Benedict XVI) and his lack of experience outside the Roman Curia. Sodano was, however, one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.

During the interregnum of 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger served as Dean of the College of Cardinals. Because Cardinal Ratzinger was himself elected to the papacy, Sodano had to fulfil the functions of the Dean in his capacity as Vice-Dean. This included asking Cardinal Ratzinger if he accepted his canonical election as Supreme Pontiff, and what name the new pope would take. At the Inauguration Mass, Sodano brought the fisherman's ring to the newly installed Benedict XVI.

Upon the death of John Paul, Sodano's position as Secretary of State expired. Although Cardinal Sodano is past the customary retirement age he was reappointed to the position by Benedict XVI on 21 April 2005.

On 22 June 2006, Benedict XVI appointed Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone to replace Sodano as the Secretary of State. Bertone assumed the new office on 15 September 2006. Sodano turned 80 on November 23, 2007, and will be ineligible to participate in any future conclaves.

• List of national leaders

• Cardinal Sodano - "Look Upwards"