Edward Idris Cassidy AC (born 5 July 1924) is an Australian Roman Catholic cardinal priest. He is the President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity within the Vatican and headed the `Commission of the Holy See for Religious Relations with the Jews. He was made a cardinal on 28 June 1991.
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Cassidy was born in Sydney. During high school a priest from St. Felix's parish discouraged him from becoming a priest because he had not finished his secondary education, had not studied in Catholic schools and his family background was definitively "unsuitable", due to financial difficulties after his grandfather died in 1939. He worked at the New South Wales Department of Road Transport as a junior clerk, having to stop his schooling. In 1942, he went directly to Archbishop Norman Thomas Gilroy of Sydney to present his case for entering the priesthood; the Archbishop Gilroy agreed and he entered St. Columba's College (seminary), Springwood, in February 1943.
He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Sydney on 23 July 1949, at the metropolitan cathedral of St. Mary, Sydney, by Cardinal Gilroy. Father Edward Bede Clancy, was ordained at the same time. He volunteered to transfer to the diocese of Wagga Wagga after the priestly ordination. In January 1950, he wa assigned to the small parish of Yenda.
In 1952, Bishop Francis Henschke of Wagga Wagga, asked him if he would like to go to Rome to study canon law; he agreed and left for Rome on 1 September 1952. While studying in Rome, he resided at Collegio Sant'Apollinare, next to Piazza Navona. He completed his education studying at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in canon law, in July 1955 with a dissertation on the history and juridical nature of apostolic delegations, and at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, also in Rome, from October 1953, where he obtained a diploma in diplomatic studies. After finishing his studies, he joined the Vatican diplomatic service in July 1955.
He served in the nunciatures in India, Ireland, and Portugal. He was appointed counselor of the apostolic delegation in the United States in June 1967, but as the nuncio in Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Sensi, was then transferred to the nunciature in Portugal, had to stay in Dublin until the following November, when he was named instead counselor of the nunciature in El Salvador, where he remained until the end of 1969, becoming then counselor of the nunciature in Argentina until his promotion to the episcopate in 1970.
At the age of 46, on 27 October 1970 he was appointed Titular Archbishop of Amantia and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Republic of China. He was consecrated on 15 November by Cardinal Jean-Marie Villot assisted by Archbishops Giovanni Benelli and Matthew Beovich, representing Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli. He later served as Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Bangladesh, and after that as Apostolic Delegate to Southern Africa and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Lesotho.
He served in Southern Africa until 6 November 1984, when he was appointed Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Netherlands, where he served until in 1988 he was appointed Substitute of the Secretariat of State in the Roman Curia. After only a year he was appointed as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In the consistory of 28 June 1991 Pope John Paul II created him Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata. On 26 February 2001 he took the option open to cardinal deacons to be elevated to the rank of cardinal priest after 10 years as a cardinal deacon.
Cassidy was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1990.[1] He retired in 2001 and returned to his native Australia.
His book titled Rediscovering Vatican II - Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, was published 2005 and marked the 40th anniversary of the Vatican's ecumenism declaration Nostra Aetate. The book made a significant contribution to ongoing international inter-religious dialogue.
| Styles of Edward Idris Cassidy |
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|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Amantia (titular see) |
After his retirement, for the first time ever, during the period from 21 October 2003 (when George Pell was made cardinal) until Edward Bede Clancy's 80th birthday on 13 December, there were three Australian cardinal electors (had a Papal election become necessary).
If on judgement day the Lord asks [me] what [I] did, if nothing else, [I] can say that [I] signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.[2]
| Preceded by Eduardo Martínez Somalo |
Substitute for General Affairs 23 March 1988–12 December 1989 |
Succeeded by Giovanni Battista Re |
| Preceded by Johannes Willebrands |
President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity 12 December 1989–3 March 2001 |
Succeeded by Walter Kasper |