Álvaro Leonel Ramazzini Imeri (born July 16, 1947) is a

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

n prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who has been the Bishop of Huehuetenango since 2012. He was the Bishop of San Marcos from 1988 to 2012. Pope Francis raised him to the rank of cardinal on 5 October 2019.

Biography

Ramazzini was born in

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...

, and he was ordained to the presbyterate on June 27, 1971, for service to the Archdiocese of Guatemala. He earned a Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.) at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

at the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He was a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

and

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the Major Seminary of Guatemala and Pastor of one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Guatemala. On December 15, 1988,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed then-Father Ramazzini as the Bishop of San Marcos. He was consecrated by the Pope on January 6, 1989. The principal co-consecrators were Archbishops

Edward Idris Cassidy Edward Idris Cassidy AC (5 July 1924 – 10 April 2021) was an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church who was president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity from 1989 to 2001. He headed the Commission of the Holy See f ...

and

José Tomás Sánchez José Tomás Sánchez (March 17, 1920 – March 9, 2012) was a Filipino cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who held several posts in the Roman Curia, the highest of which was Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1991 to 1996. Pri ...

. As a priest and bishop Ramazzini has been involved in social justice issues, especially in the area of protecting the rights of indigenous people. He has fought against multinational corporations who come to Guatemala for its mineral wealth while destroying the countryside. Bishop Ramazzini has empowered the poor and marginalized and fostered civil courage to fight against the injustice they experience. He has received many death threats because of his work, and has received official letters of support from the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

and the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

. In 2005 Ramazzini received the

Konrad Lorenz Award Konrad is a German (with variants ''Kunz'' and ''Kunze'') given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to: People Given name Surname *Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer *Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth name ...

. The same year he testified before the International Relations Sub-committee on the Western Hemisphere of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. He was elected as the President of the

Episcopal Conference of Guatemala The Episcopal Conference of Guatemala ( es, Conferencia Episcopal de Guatemala, CEG) is the Roman Catholic Episcopal Conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Cathol ...

in 2006. In 2011 he received the

Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award The ''Pacem in Terris'' Peace and Freedom Award is a Catholic peace award which has been given annually since 1964, in commemoration of the 1963 encyclical letter '' Pacem in terris'' (Peace on Earth) of Pope John XXIII. It is awarded "to honor ...

, in honor of his social justice work. Ramazzini has held many positions in the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala and chaired the Commission for Social Communications and the Commission for Prison Ministry. Ramazzini participated in the CELAM Assembly in

Aparecida, Brazil Aparecida is a Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is located in the fertile valley of the River Paraíba do Sul on the southern (right) bank. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte. The popul ...

, in 2007, and before that, at the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops in 1997. On 14 May 2012,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

named Ramazzini Bishop of Huehuetenango as he accepted the resignation offered by Bishop

Rodolfo Francisco Bobadilla Mata Rodolfo Francisco Bobadilla Mata (16 October 1932 – 13 April 2019) was a Guatemalan Roman Catholic bishop. Biography Bobadilla Mata born in Guatemala and was ordained to the priesthood in 1958. He served as bishop of the Apostolic Vicari ...

, C.M. On 5 October 2019, Pope Francis made him

Cardinal Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of San Giovanni Evangelista a Spinaceto. He was made a member of the

Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Pope Francis announced its creation on 15 August 2016, effective 1 September 2016. It took over the functions and responsibilities of the Pontifical Council for the La ...

on 21 February 2020 and of the

Pontifical Commission for Latin America The Pontifical Commission for Latin America is a department of the Roman Curia that since 1958 has been charged with providing assistance to and examining matters pertaining to the Catholic Church in Latin America. The Commission operates under t ...

on 20 April 2020.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramazzini Imeri, Alvaro Leonel 1947 births Living people 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Guatemala 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Guatemala Guatemalan cardinals People from Guatemala City Roman Catholic activists Cardinals created by Pope Francis Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Roman Catholic bishops of San Marcos Roman Catholic bishops of Huehuetenango

Biography

See also

References

External links