Fernando Filoni

Last updated

His Eminence

Fernando Filoni
Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Card. Fernando Filoni in Taiwan.jpg
Filoni in 2019
Church Catholic Church
Appointed8 December 2019
Installed16 January 2020
Predecessor Edwin Frederick O’Brien
Other post(s)
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination3 July 1970
by  Antonio Rosario Mennonna
Consecration19 March 2001
by  Pope John Paul II
Created cardinal18 February 2012
by Pope Benedict XVI
Rank Cardinal-Bishop
Personal details
Born
Fernando Filoni

(1946-04-15) 15 April 1946 (age 78)
Manduria, Italy
Nationality Italian
Denomination Catholic
Residence Vatican City
Alma mater Pontifical Lateran University
Motto
  • Lumen Gentium Christus
  • ("Christ, Light of the nations")
Coat of arms Coat of arms of Fernando Filoni, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.svg
Styles of
Fernando Filoni
Coat of arms of Fernando Filoni, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.svg
Reference style His Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal style Cardinal

Fernando Filoni (born 15 April 1946) is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who serves as Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He was Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2011 to 2019. He is an expert in Chinese affairs and on the Middle East.

Contents

Education and early diplomatic work

Filoni was born in Manduria near Taranto, Italy. He entered the seminary and earned doctorates in Philosophy and in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University. He was ordained a priest on 3 July 1970. He served in the Nunciatures of Sri Lanka from 1981 until 1983, Iran from 1983 to 1985, Brazil from 1989 to 1992 and the Philippines from 1992 until 2000. Although formally assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines, he was based in Hong Kong. During this time Archbishop Filoni was Pope John Paul II's bridge to China's bishops, official and non-official Churches and bishops, in the hope of reconciling them to the Holy See. [1]

Apostolic Nuncio

Pope John Paul II appointed Filoni as apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan on 17 January 2001, naming him titular Archbishop of Volturnum. [2] He received episcopal consecration from Pope John Paul II on 19 March 2001. He chose Lumen Gentium Christus as his episcopal motto. [3]

Archbishop Filoni defended the freedom of the Catholic Church in Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussein and – in line with the Pope's position – opposed the US invasion of the country in 2003. [4] He remained in Baghdad as American bombs fell, [5] which he called "nothing exceptional". [6] When Mario Vargas Llosa visited him in Baghdad in 2003, he described Filoni as "small, astute, tough as nails, talkative and an expert on emergencies", who described sadly how, just as predicted, it was "incredibly difficult to administer the peace". [7] After the fall of Saddam he recognized the new-found freedom enjoyed by the people, but he warned against the lack of security and the slow development of the economy. He expressed mixed feelings towards the new constitution, which he described as both a "positive step towards normalization in the country" and "contradictory in some areas", [8] and supported the peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims.

He came close to being killed in Baghdad on 1 February 2006, when a car bomb exploded next to the nunciature. [9] He served in Iraq and Jordan until 25 February 2006 when he was named Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. [10]

Roman Curia

Substitute of the Secretariat of State

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Filoni Substitute for General Affairs on 9 June 2007, effective 1 July. [4] During his four years as Substitute, it was Filoni's job to organise the activities of the Curia and the care of official translations of papal documents and correspondence; encryption dispatches messengers to be sent to the Registry of the papal letters, the resolution of legal issues, personnel management in the Curia and nunciatures, protocol and etiquette for visiting heads of state, information and media management, and Vatican archive management. He was also responsible for organizing the activities of nuncios around the world in their activities concerning the local churches.

Observers noted that during his time as substitute, Filoni never established a strong rapport with his immediate superior, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone. [11]

In 2008, Archbishop Filoni was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. [12]

McCarrick Scandal

In his August 2018 "Testimony", Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò reported that on 25 May 2008 he had sent Filoni a summary of information provided by an ex-priest named Gregory Littleton who attested to sexual abuse of priests and seminarians by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick along with the information included in Richard Sipe's recently published "Statement for Pope Benedict XVI" on McCarrick's sexual misconduct. He said that Filoni "knew in every detail the situation regarding Cardinal McCarrick". [13] Filoni received checks totalling $3,500 from McCarrick between 2008 and 2013. [14]

Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples

On 10 May 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Filoni Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Vatican department in charge of administering mission territories, in succession to Ivan Cardinal Dias, who had reached retirement age and had health problems. [15] La Nazione remarked that to be reassigned after only four years as Substitute was unusual and speculated that Filoni had been moved because of a "stormy" relationship with Bertone. [16]

The Holy See announced on 6 January 2012 that he would be created a cardinal on 18 February. He was created Cardinal-Deacon of Nostra Signora di Coromoto. On 24 April 2012 Filoni was made a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and the Congregation for Catholic Education. [17] On 24 November 2012 he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. [18] Filoni took part in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, and was considered to be a papabile, or possible candidate to be elected pope. [9]

Based on his work with the people of Iraq, Filoni wrote The Church in Iraq. [19]

Pope Francis raised him to the rank of Cardinal Bishop effective 28 June 2018. [20]

Pope Francis named Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to succeed Filoni as Prefect of the Congregation on 8 December 2019. [21]

Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Pope Francis named him Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem on 8 December 2019. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelo Sodano</span> Italian Roman Catholic cardinal (1927–2022)

Angelo Raffaele Sodano, GCC was an Italian Catholic prelate and from 1991 onward a cardinal. He was the Dean of the College of Cardinals from 2005 to 2019 and Cardinal Secretary of State from 1991 to 2006; Sodano was the first person since 1828 to serve simultaneously as Dean and Secretary of State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Lajolo</span> Italian cardinal

Giovanni Lajolo is an Italian cardinal and former president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governatorate of Vatican City State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Battista Re</span> Italian cardinal

Giovanni Battista Re is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church whose service has been primarily in the Roman Curia. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2001. He was prefect of the Congregation for Bishops from 2000 to 2010. As the senior cardinal-bishop in attendance, he chaired the March 2013 papal conclave to elect Pope Benedict XVI's successor. Pope Francis approved his election as Dean of the College of Cardinals on 18 January 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescenzio Sepe</span> Cardinal and Archbishop of Naples

Crescenzio Sepe is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Naples from 2006 to 2020. He served in the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2001 to 2006. He was made a cardinal in 2001. Before that he spent 25 years in increasingly important positions in the Roman Curia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agostino Cacciavillan</span> Italian Catholic cardinal and bishop (1926–2022)

Agostino Cacciavillan was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, and a cardinal since 2001. He worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1959 to 1998; he was given the titles of archbishop and nuncio in 1998 and served as Pro-Nuncio to Kenya, India, Nepal, and the United States between 1976 and 1998. He then worked in the Roman Curia from 1998 to 2002 as President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pietro Sambi</span> Italian prelate

Pietro Sambi was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1969 until his death in 2011. He had the rank of archbishop and the title of nuncio from 1985, fulfilling assignments in Burundi, Indonesia, Cyprus, Israel, Jerusalem and Palestine, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonardo Sandri</span> Argentine cardinal

Leonardo Sandri is an Argentine prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since November 2007 and vice dean of the College of Cardinals since January 2020. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches from 2007 to 2022. He served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1974 to 1991 in several overseas assignments, including as a permanent observer of the Holy See before the Organization of American States from 1989 to 1991, and in Rome as Substitute for General Affairs in the Secretariat of State from 1999 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Mamberti</span> Roman Catholic Cardinal

Dominique François Joseph Mamberti is a French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Roman Curia. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Monterisi</span> Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church (born 1934)

Francesco Marco Nicola Monterisi is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church, who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1964 to 1998 and then held senior positions in the Roman Curia until he retired in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Bertello</span> Italian prelate (born 1942)

Giuseppe Bertello is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, a cardinal since 2012, who was President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State from October 2011 to October 2021. He worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1971 to 2011; became an archbishop in 1987; held appointments as Nuncio to several countries, including Rwanda, Mexico, and Italy; and was the Holy See's representative to a number of international organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriele Giordano Caccia</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church

Gabriele Giordano Caccia is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has worked in the offices of the Secretariat of State and served as Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon and the Philippines. He was named Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ettore Balestrero</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church

Ettore Balestrero is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Nugent</span> Irish Roman Catholic prelate (born 1959)

Eugene Martin Nugent is an Irish Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Apostolic Nuncio to Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar since January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adriano Bernardini</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church

Adriano Bernardini is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who occupied positions in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from the 1970s until he retired in 2017. His first assignment as Apostolic Nuncio was to Bangladesh (1992–1995) and his last to Italy (2011–2017). He has been an archbishop since 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santos Abril y Castelló</span> Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1936)

Santos Abril y Castelló is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church. After a career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, he held a number of positions in the Roman Curia and from 2011 to 2016 was Archpriest of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beniamino Stella</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1941)

Beniamino Stella is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 2013 to 2021; he has been a cardinal since 2014. He began working in the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1970, was made an archbishop in 1987, and served as a nuncio in several countries between 1987 and 2007. He led the Vatican's training program for its diplomats, the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, from 2007 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Banach</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church

Michael Wallace Banach is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1994. He has been apostolic nuncio to Hungary since May 2022. He has served as an observer at a United Nations agency and as apostolic nuncio to several nations in Asia and Africa.

Pier Luigi Celata is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who from July 2012 to December 2014 was Vice Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. He spent much of his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1986 and from 1986 to 2002 was Apostolic Nuncio to several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Thévenin</span> French bishop and Vatican diplomat

Nicolas Henry Marie Denis Thevenin is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has been Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt since 2019.

Félix del BlancoPrieto was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, including stints heading the missions in countries such as Angola and Malta among other countries. He was then appointed Almoner of the office of Papal Charities in 2007 and retired from the same position in 2012.

References

  1. ↑ "Filoni Card. Fernando". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Rinunce e Nomine, 17.01.2001" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 17 January 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "A rosary for the whole world". 30 Days (Interview). 1 May 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Msgr. Fernando Filoni is the new substitute for the Secretary of State". Asia News. 9 June 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "After the bombs there was chaos, Filoni on the Christians of Iraq's Babel". La Stampa. AP/La Presse. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Iraq for the Iraqis". 30 Days (Interview). 1 April 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Vargas Llosa, Mario (2011). Touchstones: Essays on Literature, Art, and Politics. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN   9781429967471 . Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "L'Osservatore Welcomes Approval of Iraqi Constitution". Zenit. 26 October 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  9. 1 2 Allen Jr., John L. (6 March 2013). "Papabile of the Day: The Men Who Could Be Pope". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "Rinunce e Nomine, 25 February 2006" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 25 February 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  11. ↑ Hernández Velasco, Irene (11 May 2011). "Benedicto XVI asciende al nuncio de Cuba". El Mundo.
  12. ↑ "Presidenza della Repubblica". Quirinale.it. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014.
  13. ↑ Viganò, Carlo Maria. "Testimony" (PDF).
  14. ↑ "Ousted cardinal McCarrick gave more than $600,000 to fellow clerics, including two popes, records show". The Washington Post. 26 December 2019.
  15. ↑ Pentin, Edward (10 May 2011). "Benedict XVI Makes Two Key Vatican Appointments". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  16. ↑ "Rimpasto in Curia". La Nazione. 7 May 2011.
  17. ↑ "Rinunce e Nominee, 21.04.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  18. ↑ "Rinunce e Nomine, 24.11.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  19. ↑ Filoni, Fernando The Church in Iraq (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press), 2017; a translation of La Chiesa in Iraq (Vatican City State: Libreria Editrice Vaticana), 2015.
  20. ↑ "Rescriptum ex Audientia Ss.mi" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "Rinunce e Nomine, 08.12.2019" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  22. ↑ "Rinunce e Nomine, 08.12.2019" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Head of Holy See Study Mission to Hong Kong
1992 – 17 January 2001		Succeeded by
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq
17 January 2001 – 25 February 2006		Succeeded by
Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan
17 January 2001 – 25 February 2006
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines
25 February 2006 – 9 June 2007		Succeeded by
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by— TITULAR —
Titular Archbishop of Volturno
17 January 2001 – 18 February 2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by Substitute for General Affairs
1 July 2007 – 10 May 2011		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
10 May 2011 – 8 December 2019		Succeeded by
President of the Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious
10 May 2011 – 8 December 2019
Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urban University
10 May 2011 – 8 December 2019
Preceded by Cardinal Deacon of Nostra Signora di Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio
18 February 2012 – 28 June 2018		Himself as Cardinal Bishop
Himself as Cardinal Deacon Cardinal Bishop of Nostra Signora di Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio
28 June 2018 –		Incumbent
Preceded by Grand Master of Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
8 December 2019 –
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.