Antonio Innocenti
Encyclopedia
Antonio Innocenti was a cardinal
who was a mainstay of the Roman Curia
and the Vatican diplomatic service for many years. He was born in Poppi
, Italy
.
Ordained in 1938 in Florence
, Innocenti worked as a pastor in northern Italy for the following decade. His work helping Jews
led to him narrowly escaping death from a firing squad; he was released at the last minute. He was then called by Pope Pius XII
to Rome and settled down to a career in the Curia. He served for most of the 1950s and 1960s in the papal nunciature in Switzerland
, where, as he saw it, the major problems were "an opulent society, religious assistance to immigrants and relations with Christian of other denominations".
On December 15, 1967, Innocenti was elevated by Pope Paul VI
to the role of titular
archbishop of Eclano and at exactly the same time appointed nuncio to Paraguay
. He served as nuncio to Paraguay whilst holding a number of titular sees until 1973, when he was elevated further to the role of secretary of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments (now the Congregation for Divine Worship) until 1980, when Innocenti became nuncio to Spain
.
In 1985, Pope John Paul II
rewarded the experienced prelate with elevation to cardinal and one year later Innocenti became prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
, a post he was to hold until he passed the mandatory retirement age of seventy-five in 1991. During Innocenti's time as prefect, the Curia was extremely busy dealing with what was perceived as dangerous dissent from papal teaching, and Innocenti was heavily involved with many lay movements designed to restore orthodoxy among the Church's members.
After stepping down from his post as Prefect in 1991, Innocenti gradually faded into retirement. When he turned eighty in 1995, he lost his right to vote in a papal conclave
, and by 1999 he had completely retired to Piazza della Citta Leonina.
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Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
who was a mainstay of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
and the Vatican diplomatic service for many years. He was born in Poppi
Poppi
Poppi is a comune in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 40 km east of Florence and about 30 km northwest of Arezzo....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Ordained in 1938 in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Innocenti worked as a pastor in northern Italy for the following decade. His work helping Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
led to him narrowly escaping death from a firing squad; he was released at the last minute. He was then called by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
to Rome and settled down to a career in the Curia. He served for most of the 1950s and 1960s in the papal nunciature in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where, as he saw it, the major problems were "an opulent society, religious assistance to immigrants and relations with Christian of other denominations".
On December 15, 1967, Innocenti was elevated by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
to the role of titular
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
archbishop of Eclano and at exactly the same time appointed nuncio to Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. He served as nuncio to Paraguay whilst holding a number of titular sees until 1973, when he was elevated further to the role of secretary of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments (now the Congregation for Divine Worship) until 1980, when Innocenti became nuncio to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
In 1985, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
rewarded the experienced prelate with elevation to cardinal and one year later Innocenti became prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
, a post he was to hold until he passed the mandatory retirement age of seventy-five in 1991. During Innocenti's time as prefect, the Curia was extremely busy dealing with what was perceived as dangerous dissent from papal teaching, and Innocenti was heavily involved with many lay movements designed to restore orthodoxy among the Church's members.
After stepping down from his post as Prefect in 1991, Innocenti gradually faded into retirement. When he turned eighty in 1995, he lost his right to vote in a papal conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
, and by 1999 he had completely retired to Piazza della Citta Leonina.
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