Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop emeritus of Lima, was born on 28 December 1943 in Lima. A champion basketball player, he studied industrial engineering at the National Institute of Engineering and joined Opus Dei in 1962. After working as an engineer, he was ordained for the Prelature on 21 August 1977 and holds a doctorate in theology from the University of Navarre.

He did pastoral work in Lima and taught moral theology at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology. He was later Regional Vicar for Peru and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Piura.

On 23 May 1988 he was appointed titular Bishop of Turuzi and Auxiliary of Ayacucho, receiving episcopal ordination on 3 July.

He served as consultor of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1990 to 1999.

He was promoted to Archbishop of Ayacucho on 13 May 1995.

He tried to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the siege of the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima (December 1996 to April 1997) and ministered to the Japanese and Peruvian hostages.

He was named Archbishop of Lima on 9 January 1999.

In January 2000 he was elected second vice-president of the Bishop's Conference of Peru and President of the Episcopal Commission for Education.

He was a Member of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

He participated in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by the St. John Paul II in the Consistory of 21 February 2001, of the Title of S. Camillo de Lellis (St. Camillus de Lellis).