- Antonio Poma
infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Antonio Cardinal Poma
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Bologna (emeritus ) |Antonio Cardinal Poma (
June 12 ,1912 —September 24 ,1985 ) was an Italianprelate of theRoman Catholic Church . He served as Archbishop of Bologna from 1968 to 1983, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969.Biography
Antonio Poma was born in
Villanterio , and studied at theseminary inPavia and thePontifical Gregorian University inRome (from where he obtained his doctorate in theology in 1934). He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Giuseppe Palica onApril 15 ,1933 , in thechapel of theMajor Roman Seminary . Before becomingrector of the Pavia seminary in July 1947, he was made private secretary to theBishop of Pavia and a professor of literature and ofdogmatic theology at the same seminary in 1935.On
October 28 ,1951 , Poma was appointed Auxiliary Bishop ofMantua and Titular Bishop of "Thagaste" byPope Pius XII . He received his episcopal consecration on the followingDecember 9 from Bishop Carlo Allorio, with Bishops Vittorio De Zanche and Giuseppe Piazzi serving as co-consecrators, in theCathedral of Pavia. Poma was named Coadjutor Bishop of Mantua onAugust 2 ,1952 , later succeeding Domenico Menna as Bishop of the same onSeptember 8 ,1954 . From 1962 to 1965, he attended theSecond Vatican Council . He was advanced to Coadjutor Archbishop ofBologna and Titular Archbishop of "Hierpiniana" onJuly 16 ,1967 . OnFebruary 12 ,1968 , Poma succeededGiacomo Cardinal Lercaro as Archbishop of Bologna upon the latter's resignation.Pope Paul VI created him Cardinal Priest of "S. Luca a Via Prenestina" in theconsistory ofApril 28 ,1969 . From 1969 to 1979, Poma served asPresident of the Italian Episcopal Conference; during this capacity, he warned that Catholics who supportCommunism separate themselves from the Church [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947657-2,00.html The Communists Seize the Initiative]May 31 ,1976 ] . He was also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively. OnFebruary 11 ,1983 , the Cardinal resigned as Bologna's archbishop, after almost fourteen years of service. He continued to govern the archdiocese as itsApostolic Administrator until the appointment of Bishop Enrico Manfredini on the followingMarch 18 .Poma died in Bologna, at age 75. He is buried in the metropolitan cathedral of the same city.
Trivia
*During his tenure as Archbishop of Bologna, he founded the second
House of Charity , the "Mensa della fraternità" or Poor People's Refectory, the Diocesan Charitas and the Mission of the Bolognese Church inTanzania [Chiesa di Bologna. [http://www.bologna.chiesacattolica.it/arcidiocesi/01_storia_inglese.php The History of the Church in Bologna] ] .
*Poma suffered fromerysipelas [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919865-7,00.html The September Pope]October 9 ,1978 ] .References
External links
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-p.htm#Poma Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpoma.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
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