Fernando Filoni
| His Eminence Fernando Filoni J.C.D., PhD | |
|---|---|
| Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples | |
 Delivery of the honorary citizenship of the town of Galatone to Archbishop Fernando Filoni (2007) | |
| See | Volturnum (titular see) |
| Appointed | 10 May 2011 |
| Predecessor | Ivan Dias |
| Other posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination |
3 July 1979 by Antonio Rosario Mennonna |
| Consecration |
19 March 2001 by John Paul II assisted by Angelo Sodano and Giovanni Battista Re |
| Created Cardinal | 18 February 2012 |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Fernando Filoni |
| Born |
15 April 1946 Manduria, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Previous post |
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| Alma mater | Pontifical Lateran University |
| Motto |
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| Coat of arms |
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| Styles of Fernando Filoni | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Fernando Filoni (born 15 April 1946) is a Catholic Cardinal and current Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Roman Curia since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 10 May 2011. Cardinal Filoni is an expert in Chinese affairs and on the Middle East.[1]
Education and early diplomatic work
He was born near Taranto, Italy. He entered the seminary and earned doctorates in Philosophy and in Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University where then-Father Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., later the Vatican Secretary of State, served as a Guest Professor in 1978. He was ordained as a Priest on 3 July 1970. He served in the Nunciatures of Sri Lanka from 1982 until 1983, Iran from 1983–1985, Brasil from 1989–1992 and finally the Philippines from 1992 until 2001. Although formally assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines he was based in Hong Kong. During these years he spent his most intense and important period of work, on the Holy See’s so-called "Study Mission", linked to the Manila Nunciature. During this time Archbishop Filoni was Pope John Paul II’s bridge, reaching out to China's bishops, official and non-official Churches and bishops, reconciling the vast majority to the Holy See.
Apostolic Nuncio
Pope John Paul II appointed Father Filoni as the Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq and Jordan on 17 January 2001, becoming Titular Archbishop of Volturnum. He received Episcopal Ordination from Pope John Paul on 19 March 2001.
Archbishop Filoni defended the freedom of the Catholic Church in Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussein and – in line with the Pope's position – opposed the US invasion of the country.[citation needed] He remained in Baghdad as American bombs fell, the only ambassador to do so,[citation needed] refusing to leave the capital, to which he says that "It was nothing exceptional".[citation needed] After the fall of Saddam he did not fail to notice some new aspects of peoples new found freedom. Yet he also warned against the lack of security and the slow development of the economy, while supporting the new constitution[citation needed] and supporting the peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims.
He came close to being killed in Baghdad on 1 February 2006, when a car bomb exploded next to the nunciature.[citation needed] "Thank God we survived" he stated afterward.[citation needed] He served in Iraq and Jordan until 25 February 2006 when he returned to the Philippines as the Nuncio.
Roman Curia
Pope Benedict appointed Archbishop Filoni Substitute for General Affairs on 9 June 2007, formally taking office on 1 July.
It was Filoni's job to organise the activities of the Curia and the care of official translations of papal documents and correspondence; encryption dispatches messengers to be sent to the Registry of the papal letters, the resolution of legal issues, personnel management in the Curia and nunciatures (promotions and advances), the protocol and etiquette for visiting heads of state, information and media management Vatican archive management to shipping the blessings of the Pope. He is also responsible for organizing the activities of nuncios around the world in their activities concerning the local churches. As well as speaking his native Italian he also speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Commenting on his appointment he said: “It is an act of paternal benevolence on the part of the Pontiff, to which I respond without the slightest trepidation, but with the same willingness and profound gratitude I have had in the past. The wonderful words of Our Lord aid me at this time, those found in Luke (17, 10), on the attitude of those called into the Christ's service: ‘When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do'.”.
In 2008 Archbishop Filoni was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.[2]
On 10 May 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Filoni Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in succession to Cardinal Ivan Dias, who had reached retirement age and had worsening diabetes. The Prefect oversees the Catholic mission territories and is traditionally dubbed the "Red Pope" as a reflection of both the power of his congregation and the red vestments of the Cardinal Prefect. The office's sizable resources (furnished by income from its long-maintained Roman real-estate holdings) provide a significant amount of funding to the efforts of the developing church, and the congregation's cardinals are responsible for recommending appointees to the episcopacy in mission areas, mainly African and Asian countries, a task that falls to the Congregation for Bishops in more established locales. Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai is Secretary (Filoni's deputy) of the Congregation. Their knowledge of China and the government-controlled Chinese church will be crucial in resolving the long standing issue between the two entities.
It was announced on 6 January that he would be created a cardinal on 18 February. He was created Cardinal-Deacon of Nostra Signora di Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio. On 24 April 2012 Cardinal Filoni was made a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and the Congregation for Catholic Education.[3] On 24 November 2012 he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.[4] He will hold these memberships until his 80th birthday.
References
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Giuseppe Lazzarotto |
Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq 17 January 2001 – 25 February 2006 |
Succeeded by Francis Chullikatt |
| Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan 17 January 2001 – 25 February 2006 | ||
| Preceded by Antonio Franco |
Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines 25 February 2006 – 9 June 2007 |
Succeeded by Edward Joseph Adams |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by Leonardo Sandri |
Substitute for General Affairs 1 July 2007 – 10 May 2011 |
Succeeded by Giovanni Angelo Becciu |
| Preceded by Ivan Dias |
Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples 10 May 2011–present |
Incumbent |
| President of the Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious 10 May 2011–present | ||
| Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University 10 May 2011–present | ||
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