Giovanni Lajolo

Infobox Prime Minister
honorific-prefix =Cardinal
name = Giovanni Lajolo


caption =
order = President of the Governorate of the Vatican
monarch = Benedict XVI
term_start = 15 September 2006
term_end =
deputy =
predecessor = Edmund Szoka
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age|1935|01|03|df=y
birth_place = Novara, Italy
death_date =
death_place =
religion = Roman Catholic
spouse =
party =

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
relstyle=
deathstyle=
See=Caesariana

Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo (born January 3, 1935 in Novara, Italy) is the current Cardinal President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State. He served as the Secretary for Relations with States in the Secretariat of State, or foreign minister of Vatican City, from 2003 until his appointment as President in 2006. He speaks Italian, German, English and French.

He studied at the Seminary of Novara and the Pontifical Roman Seminary and the Pontifical Gregorian University where he earned a licentiate in philosophy in 1955 and a licentiate in theology in 1959. He entered the University of Munich where he studied for a doctorate in canon law which he was awarded in 1965. Then in 1965 he entered the elite Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy to study diplomacy leaving in 1968.

He entered the service of the Secretariat of State in 1970. He worked in the nunciature in Germany collaborating with Corrado Bafile, future cardinal, from 1970 to November 1974. He was a staff member of the Council for Public Affairs of the Church from November 1974. He was named counselor of nunciature on 1 January 1983. He closely followed the negotiations that led to the signing, in 1984, of the revision of the concordat between Italy and Holy See.

On 3 October, 1988, he was appointed Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See by Pope John Paul II, and was ordained the titular archbishop of Caesariana by the pope on 6 January, 1989. He served in the Roman Curia in that office until being appointed nuncio to Germany on 7 December, 1995. He served as nuncio until his appointment as Secretary for Relations with States.

On 22 June, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI announced Archbishop Lajolo's appointment as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City, which would take effect on 15 September, 2006. On 17 October 2007, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Lajolo would join the College of Cardinals. Lajolo 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 ] He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Deacon of "Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio".

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 Bishops and the Pontifical Council for Culture sa well as the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/blajolo.html Catholic-Hierarchy.org profile]
* [http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=259 Catholic-pages bio]
* [http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/holy_see-e.pdf]