Mariano Crociata

Mariano Crociata
Styles of
Mariano Crociata
Mitre (plain).svg
Reference style The Most Reverend
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Bishop
Posthumous style not applicable

Mariano Crociata (born 16 March 1953 in Castelvetrano, Province of Trapani) is the current Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Before this position he served as Bishop of Noto. The CEI secretary general is the first ever to have come from a southern diocese.

Contents

Early life and ordination

Coat of Arms of Mons. Crociata

Born in Castelvetrano, Province of Trapani, Sicily, Crociata was ordained as a priest in 1979. A graduate of the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, where he was awarded a doctorate in theology.

Church scholar and pastor

Crociata ran the theology of religions department at Palermo's prestigious Theological School and has organised a number of conferences including many on Islam. From 2003 he was vicar general of the Diocese of Mazara del Vallo.

Bishop

On 16 July 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the Bishop of Noto.[1] He was ordained on 6 October 2007. Crociata was on 26 September 2008 appointed by Pope Benedict to fill the post left vacant when Giuseppe Betori was appointed to be the new archbishop of Florence.

Crociata was reportedly nominated on the recommendation of archbishop of Genoa and CEI president Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, who took over the CEI helm in 2007. In October 2010 Bishop Crociata welcomed civil suites against priests for alleged sexual abuse. He said that "There will be no obstacles to civil proceedings. On the contrary, they would be viewed favourably,' he told reporters Friday following a meeting of the Episcopal Conference. The Italian church acts rigorously and with the necessary attention for the victims," he added. Italian bishops say about 100 cases of sex abuse of minors has been investigated by the church over the last decade. Critics says the number is far higher.[1]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Giuseppe Malandrino		 Bishop of Noto
16 July 2007–25 September 2008		 Succeeded by
Antonio Staglianò
Preceded by
Giuseppe Betori		 Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference
26 September 2008–present		 Succeeded by
incumbent

Ref

  1. ^ Italian church welcomes legal action in sex abuse cases


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