Luigi Poggi

His Eminence

Luigi Poggi
His Eminence; Luigi Poggi
Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Forontoniana
	Poggi in Rome, 19 December 1981.
Church	Catholic Church
Appointed	29 November 1994
Term ended	25 November 1997
Predecessor	Antonio María Javierre Ortas
Successor	Jorge María Mejía
Other post(s)	Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina (2005–10)
Previous post(s)	Apostolic Delegate to Central Africa (1965–69); Titular Archbishop of Forontoniana (1965–94); Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Cameroon (1966–69); Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Gabon (1967–69); Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Central African Republic (1967–1969); Apostolic Nuncio to Peru (1969–73); Delegation Chief to Poland (1975–86); Apostolic Nuncio to Italy (1986–92); Archivist of the Vatican Secret Archives and Librarian of the Vatican Apostolic Library (1992–94); Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Domnica (1994–2005); Cardinal Protodeacon (2002–05);
Orders
Ordination	28 July 1940
Consecration	9 May 1965; by Amleto Giovanni Cicognani
Created cardinal	26 November 1994; by Pope John Paul II
Rank	Cardinal-deacon (1994–2005); Cardinal-priest (2005–10)
Personal details
Born	Luigi Poggi; 25 November 1917; Piacenza, Kingdom of Italy
Died	4 May 2010 (aged 92); Rome, Italy
Alma mater	Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
Motto	In fide et caritate; (Latin: "In faith and love")
Coat of arms

Luigi Poggi (25 November 1917 – 4 May 2010) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate, nuncio, and spymaster who led The Entity, the foreign intelligence service of the Holy See.

Made titular bishop of Forontoniana in 1965 upon assignment as nuncio, Poggi officially served as papal representative to several African nations before being reassigned to Europe to advance Paul VI's Ostpolitik policy of rapprochement to the Eastern Bloc. At the height of the Cold War he served as the Vatican's principal emissary to several Warsaw Pact countries, as Popes Paul VI and John Paul II sought renewed engagement with the Soviet Union. Named chief of the apostolic delegation to Poland during the 1980s, he led a partnership with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to back the Solidarity movement which eventually led to the end of Communist rule in the country. Poggi was elevated to cardinal in 1994 and ended his career in Rome, as nuncio to Italy and finally as head of the Vatican Library and Secret Archives.