Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., Prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops and President emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Archbishop emeritus of Québec (Canada), was born on 8 June 1944 in Lamotte, near Amos, Canada. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Amos on 25 May 1968. He holds licentiates in theology and philosophy, and a doctorate in dogmatic theology.

Cardinal Ouellet served as consultor to the Sulpicians’ Provincial Council of Canada, and then director and teacher at the Major Seminary of Montreal, where he became rector in 1990. He also served briefly as rector of St Joseph's Seminary, Edmonton.

He was consultor to the Congregation for the Clergy, then to the General Council of the Priests of Saint Sulpice. He later taught at the John Paul II Institute at the Pontifical Lateran University, where in 1997 he was appointed to the chair of dogmatic theology.

On 3 March 2001, he was named titular Bishop of Agropoli and Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Pope John Paul II ordained him a Bishop on 19 March of that year.

On 15 November 2002, Cardinal Ouellet was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Quebec.

Relator General of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church” (5-26 October 2008).

On 30 June 2010 he was nominated Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

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

On 30 January 2023 the Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the offices of prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, presented, upon reaching the age limit, by His Eminence Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S. He will leave office on 12 April 2023.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by St. John Paul II in the Consistory of 21 October 2003, of the Title of S. Maria in Traspontina (Holy Mary in Transpontina).

On  26 June 2018, with Rescriptum ex Audentia Ss.mi, the Holy Father Francis decided to co-opt Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., in the Order of Bishops, equating him in all respects to the Cardinals who were given the Title of a suburbicarian Church.

Member of:

• Secretariat of State (second section);
• Dicasteries: for Culture and Education; for the Clergy; for the Doctrine of the Faith; for the Oriental Churches; for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; for Evangelization; for Legislative Texts;
• Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.