Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour

Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour (born 20 May 1944) is a Uruguayan lawyer, journalist and activist on behalf of Roman Catholic causes in Latin America. In his 50-year career in the Roman Curia, he was one of the few laypersons in the upper ranks. For his last eight years, he was the highest ranking official of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. After retiring from the Curia in 2019, he became Uruguay's ambassador to the Holy See in 2021.

Biography Early career Guzmán Carriquiry Lecour was born in Montevideo on 20 May 1944. He led the student organization of the Catholic University of Uruguay, the Association of Catholic Students and Professionals, and helped it expand throughout Latin America. He was director of the Center for Social Communications of the Bishops Conference of Uruguay.

Pontifical Council for the Laity On 1 December 1971, he began his service in the Roman Curia. On 12 September 1991, Pope John Paul II appointed him undersecretary of that body, again, the first layperson of that rank. Carriquiry's appointment as secretary of the Commission, a position until then held by a priest, and particularly in the absence of a vice president, who by law needed to be a bishop, was deemed "unprecedented". The vice president's position was never filled. Pope Francis in turn confirmed Carriquiry as secretary in January 2014. and on 2 May of that year appointed him the Commission's "secretary with responsibility for the vice presidency", a unique designation.

Among the many conferences where he represented the Holy See, he participated as an expert in the CELAM conference in Aparecida in 2007.

Carriquiry retired after eight years as secretary of the Commission in April 2019, a few weeks before his 75th birthday.

Throughout his Curial career he held a variety of teaching appointments at several pontifical universities in Rome, at secular institutions such as Sapienza University of Rome and University of Rome Tor Vergata, and others including the University of Rome "S. Pío V", the Faculty Theology of the University of Lugano, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the Saint Thomas Aquinas University in Argentina, and many others. On 9 January 2021, he presented his credentials to Pope Francis.

Private life Carriquiry is married to Lídice Gómez Mango with whom he has four children and, as of 2020, eight grandchildren. She was born in Montevideo and taught Spanish language and literature at the La Sapienza University of Rome. Pope Francis presided at a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica marking their 50th wedding anniversary; Cardinal Marc Ouellet delivered the homily.

Honors "Comendatore" of the Italian Republic (1992) "Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell'Ordine di San Gregorio Magno (Vatican, 1994) Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina