| Styles of Piero Marini |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
Piero Marini (born 13 January 1942) is a Roman Catholic archbishop who is president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses. For twenty years he served as Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, in charge of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. In that capacity he worked for Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
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Marini was born in Valverde, Italy and was ordained a priest of the Catholic Church on 27 June 1965. He holds a doctorate in liturgy from the Benedictine-run College of Sant'Anselmo [1].
In 1975, Marini became personal secretary of Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, the controversial chief architect of the liturgical reforms that followed Vatican II. From 1987 to 2007, Marini was the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, the man who appears at the pope's side in every celebration. He was appointed Titular Bishop of Martirano on the 14 February 1998 and was ordained bishop on 19 March of that year. On the 29 September 2003 he was raised to the rank of Archbishop.
On 1 October 2007 after twenty years as Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, Pope Benedict appointed him president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses. [1]This body has the task, according to Pastor Bonus, of making "ever better known, loved and served, Our Lord Jesus Christ in his Eucharistic Mystery, as centre of the life of the Church and of its mission for the salvation of the world through the celebration of International Eucharistic Congresses".
Marini's innovative approach to papal ceremonies sometimes made him the focus of criticism,[2] so that, after the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, it was hopefully rumoured that he would be removed from his post[3] and would take up an Italian diocese [2].
Some surmised that the timing of Marini's departure may be linked to the July 2007 decision by Pope Benedict to liberalise permission for the 1962 Tridentine Mass. Of this document Marini said that it "does not intend to introduce modifications into the current Roman Missal nor to express a negative judgement on the liturgical reform desired by the Council" and that it was "a gesture at the service of unity".[4]
Of his relationship with Pope Benedict XVI, Marini wrote:
I also express my heartfelt filial gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI who, immediately following his election, chose to confirm me as Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations. To tell the truth, it was not a completely new experience for me, since I had been his master of ceremonies following his elevation to the cardinalate. For this reason too, from the very start I felt welcomed by Pope Benedict as a son. In him I could see, to my great satisfaction, not only a professor but also a Pope who is an expert in the liturgy. I will never forget the emotion I felt in finding myself alone with him in the Sistine Chapel just after his election, or the emotion I experienced during the rites of the inauguration of his Petrine ministry. These rites remain fixed in my mind and heart, since I consider them the fullest and most successful icon which the liturgy has given of the Church in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Thank you, Pope Benedict, for having approved those rites and for having celebrated them with God’s Holy People.[5]
Marini is the author of A Challenging Reform - Realizing the Vision of the Liturgical Renewal (ISBN: 978-0-8146-3035-8).
| Preceded by John Magee |
Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations 17 February 1987 - 1 October 2007 |
Succeeded by Guido Marini |
| Preceded by Jozef Tomko |
President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses 1 October 2007 - incumbent |
Succeeded by incumbent |