Ennio Cardinal Antonelli
Encyclopedia
Ennio Antonelli is an Italian
cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
and President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
since 2008.
, he first attended seminary there, and then in Assisi
and the Pontifical Lateran University
, Rome
, where he was awarded a licentiate in sacred theology
. He later earned a doctorate in classics
at the University of Perugia
. He was ordained
a priest
for the diocese of Todi
in 1960.
in 1982, when Pope John Paul II
named him to head the diocese of Gubbio. In 1988 he was advanced to Archbishop of Perugia-Città del Pieve
, from which see he stepped down in 1995 to become Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
of 2003, becoming Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte
.
He resigned as Archbishop of Florence on 7 June 2008, on becoming President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
.
On 29 January 2011 Cardinal Antonelli was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants
.
Cardinal Antonelli was considered an Italian papabile
heading into the 2005 papal conclave in which Pope Benedict XVI
was elected and at which Antonelli was a cardinal elector
. Cardinal Antonelli remains eligible to vote in any future papal conclave
s that occur before his 80th birthday on 18 November 2016.
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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...
cardinal
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...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
Pontifical Council for the Family
The Pontifical Council for the Family is part of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. It was established by Pope John Paul II on 9 May 1981 with his motu proprio Familia a Deo Instituta, replacing the Committee for the Family that Pope Paul VI had established in 1973...
since 2008.
Early life and ordination
Born in TodiTodi
Todi is a town and comune of the province of Perugia in central Italy. It is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the river Tiber, commanding distant views in every direction.In the 1990s, Richard S...
, he first attended seminary there, and then in Assisi
Assisi
- Churches :* The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed in 1253...
and the Pontifical Lateran University
Pontifical Lateran University
The Pontifical Lateran University is a university by pontifical right based in Rome, Italy. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he was awarded a licentiate in sacred theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology is the title of the second cycle of studies of a Faculty of Theology offered by a pontifical universities or ecclesiastical faculties of sacred theology. An Ecclesiastical Faculty offers three cycles of study: Baccalaureate or fundamentals, Licentiate or specialized,...
. He later earned a doctorate in classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
at the University of Perugia
University of Perugia
University of Perugia is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale....
. He was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
for the diocese of Todi
Diocese of Todi
The Italian Catholic diocese of Todi existed until 1986, when it was united into the diocese of Orvieto-Todi. It was directly dependent on the Holy See.-History:During the Gothic War the city of Todi withstood Totila during a long and severe siege...
in 1960.
Bishop
He eventually became rector of the Seminary of Perugia and a professor of classics in Assisi before being ordained a bishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in 1982, when 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 ...
named him to head the diocese of Gubbio. In 1988 he was advanced to Archbishop of Perugia-Città del Pieve
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve
The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve was historically the diocese of Perugia. It became the archdiocese of Perugia in 1882, but without suffragans. It acquired suffragan dioceses in 1972...
, from which see he stepped down in 1995 to become Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
Cardinal
He served in this position until March 2001, when he was named to the see of Florence, whose archbishop is traditionally named a cardinal, and he was duly elevated in the consistoryConsistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 2003, becoming Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte
Sant'Andrea delle Fratte
Sant'Andrea delle Fratte is a 17th-century basilica church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to St. Andrew. The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Andreae Apostoli de Hortis is Ennio Antonelli....
.
He resigned as Archbishop of Florence on 7 June 2008, on becoming President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
Pontifical Council for the Family
The Pontifical Council for the Family is part of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. It was established by Pope John Paul II on 9 May 1981 with his motu proprio Familia a Deo Instituta, replacing the Committee for the Family that Pope Paul VI had established in 1973...
.
On 29 January 2011 Cardinal Antonelli was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants
The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants is a dicastery of the Roman Curia...
.
Cardinal Antonelli was considered an Italian papabile
Papabile
Papabile is an unofficial Italian term first coined by Vaticanologists and now used internationally in many languages to describe a cardinal of whom it is thought likely or possible that he will be elected pope. A literal English translation would be "popeable" or "one who might become pope".In...
heading into the 2005 papal conclave in which Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
was elected and at which Antonelli was a cardinal elector
Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 2005
The following is a list of the 115 cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave, arranged by region and, within each region, alphabetically. Two cardinals who were eligible to participate in the conclave, namely Adolfo Suarez Rivera and Jaime Sin, did not attend due to ill health.-Roman...
. Cardinal Antonelli remains eligible to vote in any future 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...
s that occur before his 80th birthday on 18 November 2016.
Views
Cardinal Antonelli is generally seen as a moderate, with a strong interest in social justice and peace issues. In response to demands that the Church denounce divorcees who were candidates for political office in the 1990s, he said the Church should be more concerned with their voting record. When in 2009 the Italian Court of Cassation declared there was no substantial difference in law between a family based on marriage and one resulting from cohabitation, he reacted by saying that, in the light of recent sociological studies that reveal the benefits to society of what is called the traditional family and the disadvantages for society of single-parent families and those of cohabiting couples, the traditional family is needed more than ever today both for family members and for society as a whole.External links
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