Nicora was born in Varese, Italy and ordained a priest in 1964. Prior to being ordained, he had earned a license in Canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome as well as a license in theology from the Theological Faculty in Milan. After his ordination, he became a professor of canon law at the Theological Seminary of Venegano. Nicora first became a bishop in 1977, when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Milan and titular bishop of Furnos Minor. Nicora oversaw the 1984 revision of the concordat, between Italy and the Vatican. From 1992 to 1997, he served as bishop of Verona. In 2002, Nicora became President of Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, where his responsibility was administering the Vatican's income from properties. This position is comparable to that of a chief financial officer in a corporation. Upon the death of a Pope all major Vatican officials automatically lose their positions during a sede vacante, and so Nicora lost his position on 2 April 2005 due to the death of Pope John Paul II but later was confirmed to office by Pope Benedict XVI on 21 April. Nicora was made Cardinal-Deacon of San Filippo Neri in Eurosia in 2003 by Pope John Paul II. He participated in the Papal conclave 2005 that elected Pope Benedict XVI and again in the Papal conclave 2013 that elected Pope Francis. On 19 January 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named Cardinal Nicora the President of the four-person Executive Board of the Vatican's recently established Financial Information Authority. The agency is charged with monitoring the monetary and commercial activities of Vatican agencies, such as the Governorate of Vatican City State, the Vatican Bank, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and smaller agencies such as the Vatican Pharmacy, the Vatican Supermarket, and the Vatican Museums. On 30 January 2014, Pope Francis accepted his resignation from that position and named Bishop Giorgio Corbellini to succeed him as Interim President of the Executive Board of the Authority. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Nicora Pontifical Legate for the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi. After being a cardinal-deacon for ten years, he was promoted to cardinal-priest by Pope Francis on 12 June 2014. Nicora died in a hospital in Rome on 22 April 2017.
