Antonio Poma

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Styles of Antonio Cardinal Poma


Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Bologna (emeritus)

Antonio Cardinal Poma (June 12, 1912—September 24, 1985) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Bologna from 1968 to 1983, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969.

[edit] Biography

Antonio Poma was born in Villanterio, and studied at the seminary in Pavia and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (from where he obtained his doctorate in theology in 1934). He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Giuseppe Palica on April 15, 1933, in the chapel of the Major Roman Seminary. Before becoming rector of the Pavia seminary in July 1947, he was made private secretary to the Bishop of Pavia and a professor of letters and of dogmatic theology at the same seminary in 1935.

On October 28, 1951, Poma was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Mantua and Titular Bishop of Thagaste by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 9 from Bishop Carlo Allorio, with Bishops Vittorio De Zanche and Giuseppe Piazzi serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral of Pavia. Poma was named Coadjutor Bishop of Mantua on August 2, 1952, later succeeding Domenico Menna as Bishop of the same on September 8, 1954. From 1962 to 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council. He was advanced to Coadjutor Archbishop of Bologna and Titular Archbishop of Hierpiniana on July 16, 1967. On February 12, 1968, Poma succeeded Giacomo 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 the consistory of April 28, 1969. From 1969 to 1979, Poma served as President of the Italian Episcopal Conference; during this capacity, he warned that Catholics who support Communism separate themselves from the Church^[1]. 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. On February 11, 1983, the Cardinal resigned as Bologna's archbishop, after almost fourteen years of service. He continued to govern the archdiocese as its Apostolic Administrator until the appointment of Bishop Enrico Manfredini on the following March 18.

Poma died in Bologna, at age 75. He is buried in the metropolitan cathedral of the same city.

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 in Tanzania^[2].
Poma suffered from erysipelas^[3].

Preceded by Domenico Menna	Bishop of Mantua 1954–1967	Succeeded by Carlo Ferrari
Preceded by Giacomo Lercaro	Archbishop of Bologna 1968–1983	Succeeded by Enrico Manfredini
Preceded by Giovanni Urbani	President of the Italian Episcopal Conference 1969–1979	Succeeded by Anastasio Ballestrero