His Life and His Mission
He was born in Córdoba on August 11, 1958, the second child of Ángel Sixto Rossi and Delicia Ruiz Caraffa, who, together with his sister Magdalena, welcomed him into their home. He attended primary school at the "Alejandro Carbó" school in the city of Córdoba and secondary school at the "Gabriel Taborín" school. During those years he chose to complete his final year as an external student in order to discern his vocation, a path that led him to enter the Society of Jesus in 1976. He completed his formation in Ecuador and was ordained a priest on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 1986.
He earned a licentiate in Spirituality from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, with a thesis on "Spiritual Discernment in Saint Ignatius."
Throughout his religious life he has served in many roles, including leading the Church of the Savior (Iglesia del Salvador) in Buenos Aires from 1990 to 1992. During that time, he inspired the opening of the "San José" Home, created to serve people experiencing homelessness.
He was Novice Master of the Argentine Jesuits from 1992 to 1995 and Superior of the Jesuit Residence in Córdoba from 2013 to 2019.
Since then, he has devoted his ministry to accompanying people: preaching Spiritual Exercises and retreats across the country for lay people, religious and priests; guiding and leading the many works of Manos Abiertas in Argentina; and serving in specific tasks at the Church of the Society of Jesus.
He is known for preaching the thirty-day Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius every November at the Santa Isabel de Hungría retreat house, on the road to Alta Gracia, attended by priests, religious and lay people of all ages and walks of life.
He is the founder and spiritual advisor of Manos Abiertas in Argentina.
He is the author of numerous books on spirituality, written on his own and in collaboration, which seek to accompany the realities of young people and adults, education, and those devoted to spiritual accompaniment. They include (all published in Spanish): Seeds of Heaven and Earth (1997); Teresa (1999); Small Gestures with Great Love (1999), with Father Diego Fares; Educating Is Difficult, Possible and Beautiful (2002), with Fathers Salaberry and Fares; A Church for the New Millennium (2002); Journeying with a Heart Full of Faces (2003); Wait for Me and Let's Go Together (2007); Witnesses of His Beauty (2008); The Secret of Beauty; and Caring for the Shepherd (2017), with Father Diego Fares, SJ.
His latest book, Brushstrokes of Brochero (2017), offers readers sketches of the life and spirit of Saint José Gabriel Brochero, revealed in his gestures, words and attitudes. It is a limited charity edition, and its proceeds support the works of Manos Abiertas.
He was appointed Archbishop of Córdoba by Pope Francis on November 6, 2021. He received episcopal ordination on the esplanade of Córdoba Cathedral on December 17, 2021, from Archbishop Carlos José Ñáñez, Archbishop Emeritus of Córdoba, with co-consecrators Bishop José Ángel Rovai, Bishop Emeritus of Villa María; Bishop Hugo Manuel Salaberry, SJ, Bishop of Azul; Bishop Jorge Rubén Lugones, SJ; and Bishop Ernesto Giobando, SJ, Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires. He took possession of the Archdiocese and began his pastoral ministry that same day. On September 30, 2023, Pope Francis created him a cardinal.
"I ask you to pray for me, that the Lord may give me strong shoulders to carry the sheep, and a penetrating, compassionate gaze to seek and find the lost. May He give me that capacity, that eye, to always find the most wounded, who for that very reason are the Lord's favorites. And with it, may He give me the joy of being a dispenser of the mercy of the Good Shepherd," said Ángel Rossi minutes after taking office.