Leonardo Sandri

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cardinal name=Leonardo Sandri
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
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Leonardo Sandri (born November 18, 1943) is an Argentine Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on June 9, 2007. Sandri is a polyglot, who besides his native Spanish, speaks Italian, French, English and German. On 17 October 2007, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would make Sandri a Cardinal. Sandri was elevated to the College of Cardinals in the consistory at St. Peter's Basilica on 24 November 2007. [cite press release| title = Annuncio di Concistorio per la Creazione di nuovi Cardinali|publisher =Holy See Press Office| date =2007-10-17| url =http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/20898.php?index=20898&po_date=17.10.2007&lang=en| accessdate =2007-10-17|language=Italian ]

Education

Born in Buenos Aires, Sandri was ordained a priest there on December 2 1967. He was educated at the Metropolitan Seminary of Buenos Aires and the Theological Faculty, Buenos Aires where he was awarded a licentiate in theology. He continued his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where he studied for a doctorate in canon law. He completed his training at the elite Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy where he studied diplomacy.

Early life

He began his diplomatic service for the Holy See in 1974 first in Madagascar, next at the secretariat of state (1977-89), and then at the nunciature in Washington, D.C. (1989-91) until Pope John Paul II recalled him in 1991 to serve as Assessor (assistant of the sostituto) for the General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. He was appointed Titular Archbishop of Aemona and Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela on July 22, 1997 and consecrated as archbishop on October 11 of that year. He became Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico in March 2000 and was appointed to the Secretariat of State in September 2000.

ecretariat of State

At the Secretariat his duties include organizing the activities of the Roman Curia and appointments to curial offices, maintaining papal documents, keeping the papal seal and Fisherman's Ring, handling the concerns of embassies to the Holy See, coordinating activities of the Holy See's nuncios, and publishing official communications. On the evening of 2 April 2005, it fell to Sandri to tell the world, "We all feel like orphans this evening" as he made public the news of Pope John Paul II's death.

Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches

On 9 June 2007 Pope Benedict XVI named Sandri as Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches replacing Ignace Daoud who resigned for reasons of age. It is Sandri's job as Prefect to maintain good relations with the 22 million Eastern Catholics who are in full communion with the Holy See. Sandri became a Cardinal-Deacon of "Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari" and full Prefect during the consistory of November 24, 2007.

Curial assignments

Cardinal Sandri in addition to his duties as Prefect is a member of various offices of the Curia. In May 2008 Pope Benedict named Cardinal Sandri as a member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

On 12 June 2008 in addition to his main duties he was appointed by Benedict as a member of congregations in the Roman Curia [http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/22278.php?index=22278&lang=en] . These are: the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity sa well as the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

References

External links

[http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=257 Catholic-pages]