Odilo Pedro Scherer (Portuguese pronunciation: [oˈdʒilu ˈpedɾu ˈʃɛɾeʁ]; born 21 September 1949) is a Brazilian cardinal of the Catholic Church.

When Scherer submitted his resignation as required at the age of 75, Pope Francis asked him to serve for two more years.

He eschews the politics and language of liberation theology, but preaches and practices an evangelism devoted to the suffering of the poor and open to lay participation and charismatic movements.

He was the seventh of eleven children born to Edwino and Francisca (née Steffens) Scherer, part of the German Brazilian community.

[3][5] After preparatory studies at the minor seminary of São José in Curitiba (Paraná) from 1963 to 1969, Scherer studied philosophy at Queen of the Apostles Major Seminary in Curitiba and at the Faculty of Education of the University of Passo Fundo (Rio Grande do Sul) from 1970 to 1975.

He also studied philosophy at the Studium Theologicum, part of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Curitiba.

[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 2 February 2002[8] from Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, with Archbishop Armando Círio and Bishop Anuar Battisti as co-consecrators.

[8] On 12 December 2006, Pope Benedict appointed him adjunct general secretary of the Fifth Episcopal Conference of Latin America, scheduled for May 2007 in Aparecida.

[9] Alateia later said he proved impressive as secretary general of the CNBB for his "polished training, his calm demeanor, or his firm authoritativeness when needed".

[8] He was installed there on 29 April 2007, becoming ex officio the Grand-Chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP).

He was credited for his three areas of experience: in the Curia, the National Conference of Brazilian Bushops, and São Paulo.

[11] Asked at a 27 April news conference to assess the tension between the Vatican and the Latin American liberation theology movement that had long been contentious, he praised the movement for making the Church focus on poverty and social justice, while faulting its occasional reliance on Marxist analysis.

"[13] In early May he lost the election for president of the CNBB, as the bishops chose to demonstrate their independence from the Vatican rather than endorse Benedict's choice for their largest diocese.

[6] Scherer greeted Pope Benedict upon his arrival and accompanied him on much of his visit to Brazil from 9 to 13 May 2007, which was limited to the Archdiocese of São Paulo.

[18][b] Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to the newly formed Cardinals Commission on the Vatican Bank in 2008[3] and renewed his membership on 16 February 2013 after announcing he planned to resign the papacy at the end of the month.

In September 2008, he warned of the dangers of granting exceptions to the principle of the preservation of life as the Brazil Supreme Court considered allowing abortion in cases of anencephaly.

[43] In March 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Scherer initially kept churches open in his archdiocese, scheduling more frequent liturgical celebrations to reduce the size of the gatherings and recommending that the elderly and those at risk attend virtually.

[45] In May, as the number of sick continued to increase, he defended his decision even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro minimized the health problem and was supported by evangelical pastors and some Protestant groups.

[46] On 25 October 2023, Scherer was named to a four-year term as one of 21 members of CELAM's Center for Information and Research Management.