From a lawyer in France to a cardinal in Algeria, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco has followed an unusual path—marked by a passion he never left behind: running marathons.
If his name sounds familiar, it may be because of a video that went viral on social media: standing in the rain, he eagerly awaited the arrival of Pope Leo XIV at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa during the pope’s highly anticipated trip to Algeria.
But this archbishop’s story holds another striking detail. In the world of athletics, he is known as the “marathon priest.”
From Lawyer to Priest and Cardinal
Born in Lyon on March 10, 1962, Vesco practiced law in Paris during the early part of his life. However, in 1996, he made a decisive change by joining the Dominican Order, and in 2001, he was ordained a priest.
“Before becoming a priest, I was a lawyer. I entered the Church when I was 33 years old,” he told Serena Curci of La Repubblica.
Since 2021, he has served as Metropolitan Archbishop of Algiers. He was created a cardinal in the consistory of Dec. 7, 2024, and since February 2025, he has served as vice president of the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa.
Furthermore, in May 2025, he participated as an elector in the conclave that elected Leo XIV.
A Cardinal with an Enduring Passion: Running
Far from abandoning his passion, Cardinal Vesco has never given up running. Even after embracing the priesthood, he never put aside his running shoes—going so far as to run the famous New York City Marathon.
“I’ve been running all my life—I’m 64 years old. I don’t know when or why I started running; for me, running is part of my life. (…) Thirty-seven years ago, I ran the New York Marathon and completed it in two hours and fifty-two minutes,” he told La Repubblica.
Faith and Running: Closer Than It Seems
For Cardinal Vesco, athletic life and spiritual life are not separate realities.
“Running and the Church are not two separate worlds. I can pray while I run," he said. "I like running the marathon because we run together, not against someone."