Cardinal Walter Kasper, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, was born on 5 March 1933 in Heidenheim/Brenz, Germany. He was ordained for the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart on 6 April 1957 and holds a doctorate in theology from the Theological Faculty of Tübingen.

For three years he was an assistant to Leo Scheffczyk and Hans Küng before receiving his "habilitation" with a thesis on the philosophy and theology of history in Schilling's later philosophy. He taught dogmatic theology and was dean of the theological faculty in Münster and later in Tübingen.

He was appointed Bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart on 17 April 1989 and received episcopal consecration on 17 June. In 1994 he was named co-chair of the International Commission for Lutheran/Catholic Dialogue. On 1 June 1999 he was appointed Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

On 3 March 2001 he was named President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, 1 July 2010.

Appointed by Pope Francis hee participated in the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 2014) on The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization and in the XIV Ordinary General Assembly on The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World (October 2015).

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 Ognissanti in Via Appia Nuova (All Saints in Via Appia Nuova), Deaconry elevated pro hac vice to presbyteral title (21 February 2011).