Gualtiero Bassetti
Gualtiero Bassetti (born 7 April 1942 in Popolano di Marradi in Italy) is an Italian archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He began a five-year term as president of the Italian Episcopal Conference in May 2017.
Gualtiero Bassetti | |
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| Cardinal Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve | |
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| Archdiocese | Perugia-Città della Pieve |
| See | Perugia-Città della Pieve |
| Appointed | 16 July 2009 |
| Installed | 4 October 2009 |
| Predecessor | Giuseppe Chiaretti |
| Other posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 29 June 1966 by Ermenegildo Florit |
| Consecration | 8 September 1994 by Silvano Piovanelli |
| Created cardinal | 22 February 2014 by Pope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Gualtiero Bassetti |
| Born | 7 April 1942 Popolano di Marradi, Kingdom of Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Previous post |
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| Motto | "In Charitate Fundati" ("Grounded in Charity") |
| Coat of arms |  |
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| Styles of Gualtiero Bassetti | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Priesthood
He attended the minor and major seminary of the archdiocese of Florence and was ordained a priest on 29 June 1966 in Florence. He served as vicar in the parish of St. Michael in San Salvi. In 1968 he became assistant at the minor seminary of Florence and then rector in 1972. Seven years later, he was subsequently appointed rector of the major seminary of Florence. He served there for 11 years and was then appointed pro-vicar and vicar general of the archdiocese.
Episcopate
On 9 July 1994 he was appointed bishop of Massa Marittima-Piombino and consecrated on 8 September 1994 by Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli, Archbishop of Florence. He was named bishop of Arezzo on 21 November 1998. He was named the archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve on 16 July 2009.
He was elected head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Umbria in 2012[1] and was appointed deputy president of the Italian Episcopal Conference.[2]
Cardinal
On 22 February 2014, Bassetti was raised to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis.[3][4] Bassetti commented in response: "My aims have not changed. I want to visit factories and hospitals, because as the Pope says, we must 'be pastors with the odor of sheep.' This is the time to roll our sleeves back."[2] He also praised the Pope's nomination of Archbishop Loris Capovilla as "a direct reference the Second Vatican Council".[5] La Stampa called it a "surprise nomination".[2] It was the first time a bishop of Perugia had been named a cardinal since Gioacchino Pecci, later Pope Leo XIII, in 1853.[6] His selection was seen, according to John L. Allen, as a demonstration of Francis' preference for "traditionally neglected locales" and for "political moderates".[7] Another observer described him as "instantly papabile, a man cut from the same cloth as Francis".[6] Giovanni Paciullo, Rector of the University for Foreign Students of Perugia, called the nomination a tribute to Bassetti's "constant concern for the least, the excluded, the foreigner ... which brought him into the paths of marginalization and suffering..."[5]
Bassetti has been a strong proponent of the traditional Tridentine Latin mass.[8] Pope Francis named him a member of Congregation for Bishops, Congregation for the Clergy, and Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.[9]
In 2016 at the request of Pope Francis he authored the meditations for the Good Friday Way of the Cross service at the Colosseum.[10]
On 23 May 2017, Pope Francis named Bassetti to a five-year term as head of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). Bassetti's name was one of three presented to the Pope by the Conference membership and the one who had received the most votes from them. At the same time he extended Bassetti's appointment as Archbishop of Perugia for five years despite the fact that he had submitted his resignation as required on his 75th birthday a few weeks earlier.[11] Opening the CEI's annual meeting on 25 September, he called for collegiality and dialogue between bishops and with the entire church. He said he planned to end the practice of beginning the annual meeting with the president's address and would instead conclude the meeting by summarizing their debate and "seeking a point of equilibrium". As a starting point, he said Catholics could not be divided into those who prioritize personal morality and those who advocate for social justice.[12] He spoke of the need to integrate migrants into Italian society, implying support for citizenship for those born in Italy. A reform of the tax system, he said, could support families, especially large ones, promote childbirth and provide employment.[13]
Pope Francis named him a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on 6 August 2019.[14]
See also
References
- "Perugia, monsignor Gualtiero Bassetti è cardinale". Giornale dell'Umbria. 12 January 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- Galeazzi, Giacomo (15 January 2014). "The importance of Gualtiero Bassetti's nomination". Vatican Insider. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- "Pope Francis announces names of new Cardinals". Vatican Radio. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- "19 new cardinals created in Consistory in the presence of two Popes". 22 February 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- "Papa Francesco nomina cardinale l'arcivescovo di Perugia Gualtiero Bassetti". La Nazione (Umbria). 12 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- Winters, Michael Sean (January 13, 2014). "The New Cardinals". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- Allen Jr., John L. (January 13, 2014). "Four new echoes in 'Francis revolution'". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- Carosa, Alberto (12 March 2014). "Francis and Traditionalist Catholics". Catholic World Report. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- "New Cardinals Given Work in Curia". Zenit. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- Marcolivio, Luca (24 March 2016). "Author of Colosseum Via Crucis: Very Simply, We Must Raise Our Gaze to the Crucifix". Zenit. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- Tornielli, Andrea (24 May 2017). "Bassetti presidente della Cei: 'Lavorerò con tutti i vescovi'". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- Vecchi, Gian Guido (25 September 2017). "Cei, la prima (e ultima) prolusione del cardinale Bassetti: un richiamo all'essenziale e alla semplicità" [CEI, the First (and Last) Inaugural Address of Cardinal Bassetti: a return to essentials and simplicity]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- Decrestina, Paolo (25 September 2017). "Migranti, Bassetti: "L'integrazione passa anche dallo ius soli. Il fisco aiuti le famiglie"" [Migrants, Bassetti: Integration includes citizenship by birth. Tax reform aids families.]. Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- "Resignations and Appointments, 06.07.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
External links
- "Bassetti Card. Gualtiero". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- Gualtiero Bassetti
- Christmas sermon, 2013(in Italian)
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Angelo Comastri |
Bishop of Massa Marittima-Piombino 9 July 1994 – 21 November 1998 |
Succeeded by Giovanni Santucci |
| Preceded by Flavio Roberto Carraro |
Bishop of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro 21 November 1998 – 16 July 2009 |
Succeeded by Ricardo Fontana |
| Preceded by Giuseppe Chiaretti |
Archbishop of Perugia-Citta della Pieve 16 July 2009 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Carlo Maria Martini, SJ |
Cardinal-Priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere 22 February 2014 – present | |
| Preceded by Angelo Bagnasco |
President of the Italian Episcopal Conference 23 May 2017 – present | |
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