Giuseppe Betori

Giuseppe Betori (born 25 February 1947 in Foligno, Italy) is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the archbishop of Florence and the former Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference.


Giuseppe Betori
Cardinal,
Archbishop of Florence
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseFlorence
SeeFlorence
Appointed8 September 2008
Installed26 October 2008
PredecessorEnnio Antonelli
Other postsCardinal-Priest of San Marcello (2012-)
Orders
Ordination26 September 1970
by Siro Silvestri
Consecration6 May 2001
by Camillo Ruini
Created cardinal18 February 2012
by Pope Benedict XVI
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Birth nameGiuseppe Betori
Born (1947-02-25) 25 February 1947
Foligno, Italy
NationalityItalian
DenominationRoman Catholic
Previous post
  • Titular Bishop of Falerone (2001–08)
MottoDeo et Verbo Gratiae
Signature
Coat of arms
Styles of
Giuseppe Betori
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeFlorence

Early life

He was ordained a priest in 1970. He received a licentiate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a doctorate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He was Professor of anthropology biblical exegesis; Dean of the Theological Institute of Assisi. He also served as undersecretary of Italian Episcopal Conference.

Bishop

The coat of arms of H.E. Mgr Giuseppe Betori, as archbishop of Florence before his elevation to Cardinal, as seen on the façade of the Palazzo arcivescovile

He was nominated by Pope John Paul II as Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference and was simultaneously appointed Titular Bishop of Falerone. He received episcopal consecration on 6 May 2001. He was confirmed as Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference, for a further five-year term, on 6 April 2006.

Archbishop of Florence

Betori was appointed to replace Ennio Antonelli, who had been appointed as president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, as archbishop of Florence by Pope Benedict XVI on 8 September 2008.[1] He received the pallium from Pope Benedict on 29 June 2009, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome.

On 5 November 2011 Betori survived an apparent assassination attempt. An unidentified man confronted the archbishop outside his office, shot and wounded the prelate's secretary, and waved a gun at the archbishop before escaping. Fr Paolo Brogi, the archbishop's secretary, was reportedly in satisfactory condition after surgery to repair an abdominal wound. Betori and witnesses stated that the gunman said something as he gestured toward the prelate with his firearm, but they could not understand his intent.[2]

On 10 December 2011 he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture for a five-year renewable term.[3]

On 6 January 2012 it was announced that Betori would become a cardinal on 18 February. He was created Cardinal-Priest of San Marcello. In addition to his duties at Culture, Betori was appointed a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education. On 17 May 2014, Pope Francis nominated him a member of the Pontifical Council of the Laity.[4]

He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.

Views

Life and family issues

In a 2007 speech, he identified as the new enemies of Christianity: abortion, euthanasia, the negation of sexual duality and of a family based on marriage.[5]

Ordination of homosexuals

Betori has favoured a ban on the ordination of homosexuals, saying the word discrimination can be used where there is a right, but that a vocation is not a right but a gift.[6]

Relationship with Benedict XVI

According to Abbé Claude Barthe, Betori is a member of the paleoliberal wing of the Roman Curia, who along with Giovanni Battista Re, constituted a kind of internal curial opposition to the decisions and policies of Pope Benedict XVI.[7]

References

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Ennio Antonelli
Secretary-General of the Italian Episcopal Conference
5 April 2001 – 8 September 2008
Succeeded by
Mariano Crociata
Preceded by
Ennio Antonelli
Archbishop of Florence
2008–present
Incumbent
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