Angelo Bagnasco

Cardinal of Catholic Church
name=Angelo Bagnasco
title=title Cardinal priest of Gran Madre di Dio
roll=Archbishop of Genoa President of CEI


explanation=Angelo Cardinal Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa
width=240px
born=14 January 1943, Pontevico
ordinaited=29 June 1966 by cardinal Giuseppe Siri
consecrated=7 February 1998 by cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi
proclamated=24 November 2007 by pope Benedict XVI
died=
coat of arms=Blason Cardinal Bagnasco.jpg
motto="Christus spes mea"

Angelo Cardinal Bagnasco (born 14 January, 1943) is an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Genoa and President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.

He is considered to be conservative in his views, and a theological ally of his predecessor in the CEI, Camillo Cardinal Ruini.

Early life

Bagnasco was born in Pontevico, where his family was evacuated during World War II. He said in an interview: "I became an altar boy in my parish in the historic center of Genoa, in Piazza Sarzano, when I was six years old. My old parish priest was Abbot Giovanni Battista Gazzolo, first, and afterwards Monsignor Carlo Viacava while his deputy was a young curate, Don Gianni Zamiti—the latter two are still alive and overjoyed that their little altar boy has become their archbishop—who supervised us on afternoons in the parish club where we went to play. The desire to become a priest was born precisely when I was in elementary school, but I didn’t confide it to anybody. Afterwards I went to a co-ed middle school, always with that desire in my heart" [30 Days. [http://www.30giorni.it/us/articolo.asp?id=13527 "When the Pope Calls, One Answers"] February 2007] .

Priesthood

He was ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1966 by Giuseppe Cardinal Siri. While a priest in Genoa, he received a degree in philosophy from the University of Genoa, served as professor of metaphysics and atheism at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy, and led the archdiocesan liturgical and catechesis offices. He was once the diocesan representative to the FUCI (the Italian Catholic Federation of University Students) and led efforts for the pastoral care of students in the region.

Early episcopal career

Bagnasco was appointed Bishop of Pesaro on 3 January, 1998. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 7 February from Archbishop Dionigi Tettamanzi, with Bishops Gaetano Michetti and Giacomo Barabino serving as co-consecrators. Bagnasco became Metropolitan Archbishop of the same see on 11 March, 2000.

Since 2001, he has held several posts within the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), including president of the administrative board of its newspaper "Avvenire", and secretary for schools and universities. On June 20, 2003, he was appointed Archbishop of the Military Ordinariate of Italy. He described his appointment as "totally unexpected" and that he accepted it "with surprise and some trepidation. First of all because the military world was totally unknown to me, and then because it was a matter of an extensive diocese, covering the whole country and even beyond, with our soldiers on missions to foreign countries" [Ibid.] .

Archbishop of Genoa

Following the resignation of Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, Bagnasco was appointed Archbishop of Genoa on August 29, 2006. He was installed on the following September 24. He defended Pope Benedict XVI in the Regensburg controversy.

On March 7, 2007, Benedict XVI selected Bagnasco to succeed Camillo Cardinal Ruini as President of the Italian Episcopal Conference for a five-year term. "The choice is a compromise between two of Benedict's two most influential policy-movers—Bagnasco is a confirmed Ruini-ite, 'but Bertone likes him,' as one op put it." [Whispers in the Loggia. [http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2007/03/cei-takes-bagn-asco.html] March 7, 2007]

On June 27, 2007, Archbishop Bagnasco, along with several other prelates, attended a briefing at the Apostolic Palace on Pope Benedict's impending "motu proprio" allowing wider celebration of the Tridentine Mass [Catholic World News. [http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=52069 Vatican confirms briefing on motu proprio; publication near] June 28, 2007] . Two days after this meeting, on June 29, he and forty-five others were invested with the pallium, a woolen garment reserved for metropolitan bishops, by Benedict in St. Peter's Basilica.

Condemnation of same-sex unions

In April 2007, following a condemnation of same-sex unions—in which he said, "Why say 'no' to forms of legally recognised co-habitation which create alternatives to the family? Why say 'no' to incest? Why say 'no' to the paedophile party in Holland?" [Pink News [http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-4050.html Bishop Compares Gay Rights to Incest] April 2, 2007] —Bagnasco found himself the target of death threats from gay-rights activists. The Genoa police department, while dismissing any serious cause for concern, assigned an armed officer to guard him [Catholic World News. [http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=50403 New Threats Against Italian Archbishop] April 9, 2007] .

Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, Italy's environment minister and a vocal supporter of gay rights, said Bagnasco had made a "grave, foolish comparison which offends millions of people" [News 24. [http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,9294,2-10-1462_2092684,00.html Storm Over Bishop's Gay Remarks] April 2, 2007] . Italy's bishops have called on Catholic politicians to vote against the bill which would grant rights in areas such as health care and inheritance to unmarried couples—including same-sex ones—who register their relationship.

On June 12, 2007, the Archbishop "received a second package containing a death threat as well as a number of bullets. "The latest threat follows one sent previously on April 27, in which a single bullet was posted" [Christian Today. [http://www.christiantoday.com/article/bishop.receives.death.threats.for.opposing.gay.legal.rights/11100.htm Bishop Receives Death Threats for Opposing Gay Legal Rights] June 12, 2007] .

Social teaching

Bagnasco affirmed that each man has the right to be employed. He also advised that the flexibility of the workforce has to be limited.

Cardinalate and curial assignments

On 17 October 2007 it was announced by Pope Benedict that Bagnasco along with 22 other prelates would be created cardinal in a consistory on the 24 November. He became Cardinal-Priest of "Gran Madre di Dio". On 12 June 2008 in addition to his duties as Archbishop of Genoa 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 Oriental Churches, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the Congregation for Bishops.

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=268 Catholic-pages]