Larivera studied economics and business at Bocconi University Milan, graduating in 1992. He has been a member of the Jesuit Order since 1993. Between 2005 and 2006 he studied moral theology at Pontifical Gregorian University and began as a journalist. From 2005 to 2015, he was a member of La Civiltà Cattolica’s College of Writers. He is the author of numerous articles on international politics, economics, and international justice. Since September 2015, he has been living and working with the Jesuit community in the city of Trieste, where he serves as spiritual guide, and has been director of the city’s Veritas Cultural Centre since 2016.