Francesco Moraglia

His Beatitude Francesco Moraglia
Patriarch of Venice
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Venice
Province	Italy
Metropolis	Patriarch of Venice
Diocese	Venice
See	Venice
Appointed	31 January 2012
Installed	25 March 2012
Term ended	incumbent
Predecessor	Angelo Scola
Successor	incumbent
Orders
Ordination	29 June 1977 by Giuseppe Siri
Consecration	3 February 2008 by Angelo Bagnasco
Rank	Patriarch
Personal details
Birth name	Francesco Moraglia
Born	(1953-05-25) 25 May 1953 Genova, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Previous post	Bishop of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato (2007–2012)
Motto	Latin: CUM MARIA MATRE IESU (With Mary the Mother of Jesus)
Coat of arms

Francesco Moraglia (born 25 May 1953) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been Patriarch of Venice since 31 January 2012.^[1]

Biography

Moraglia was born in Genoa. He attended the seminary of Genoa and on 29 June 1977 was ordained a priest by Cardinal Giuseppe Siri. He then continued his studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, earning a doctorate in dogmatic theology in 1981. From 1977 to 1978, he taught in the archdiocesan major seminary.

From 1979 to 1988 he was assistant parish priest in the centre of Genoa and until 1986 Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Faculty of Theology of Northern Italy. From 1986 he was a professor and later dean at the Ligurian Institute of Religious Studies. In 1996 he was appointed Director of the Diocesan Office for Culture. He became a member of the Genoa Diocesan Priests' Council in 2001.

He served as a consultor to the Congregation for the Clergy from 2003. In 2004 he was appointed a canon of the cathedral chapter. In addition to teaching at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and at the Ligurian Institute of Religious Studies, he also directed the "Didascaleion" Centre of Studies and did pastoral work a large parish in the centre of Genoa.

Coat of arms of Patriarch Moraglia

He was appointed Bishop of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato on 6 December 2007.^[2] and was ordained on 3 February 2008 by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, with Cardinal Mauro Piacenza and Bishop Bassano Staffieri as principal co-consecrators. He took possession of the diocese on 1 March 2008.

In 2008 he inaugurated the practice of diocesan Marian pilgrimage on the first Saturday of the month, while in 2012 he established perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel of the Crucifix in the church of Santa Maria La Spezia. Between 23 and 24 April 2010 he presided over the two days on the diocesan educational challenge.

From 23 April 2010 he was chairman of the board of directors of the Foundation "Communication and Culture" of the Italian Episcopal Conference. In late 2010 and early 2011 he is spent against the recognition of unmarried couples in the new municipal statute of La Spezia and the establishment of the register of wills from the same town. The new municipal statute, however, recognize "the existence of other forms of cohabitation," protecting them "within the limits set by the legal system".

In October 2011, in the days of flood of La Spezia, he cancelled any commitment on the agenda and personally runs all the flooded areas. Temporarily closed the seminary of Sarzana, and send seminarians to help those affected by major disasters.

On 31 January 2012, he was named Patriarch of Venice. His installation was on 25 March 2012.

On 18 September 2012, Moraglia was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to serve as one of the Synod Fathers for the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.^[3]

Like previous Patriarchs of Venice, Moraglia is allowed to wear non-liturgical vestments in red, although he is not a cardinal. The red biretta however is still topped by a tuft, as is customary for bishops and not cardinals.

References

External links

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