Carmine Rocco (12 April 1912 – 12 May 1982) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who devoted his entire career to the diplomatic service of 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 ...

. He became an archbishop in 1961 and served as an Apostolic Nuncio from 1959 until his death.

Biography

Carmine Rocco was born on 12 April 1912 in

Camigliano Camigliano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about north of Naples and about northwest of Caserta. Camigliano borders the following municipalities: Bellona, Formicola, Giano Vetu ...

, Italy, the last of seven children. He entered the local seminary at the age of twelve and studied at the Jesuit's Campano di Posillipo seminary from 1930 to 1936. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Teano-Calvi on 26 July 1936. To prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy ( la, Pontificia Ecclesiastica Academia, it, Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic c ...

in 1937. From 1939 to 1946 he was assigned to the nunciature in France, which was headed by

Angelo Roncalli Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

, the future Pope John XXIII, as of 24 December 1944. He worked in Argentina from 1946 to 1949, in Rome at the Secretariat of State from 1953 to 1956, and in Brazil from 1956 to 1959. On 19 January 1959,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

, who knew Rocco from their time together in France at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, named him

Apostolic Nuncio to Bolivia The Apostolic Nunciature to Bolivia the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Bolivia. It is located in La Paz. The current Apostolic Nuncio to Bolivia is Angelo Accattino, who was appointed by Pope Francis on 12 September 2017. The Apostolic Nu ...

. On 5 October 1961, Pope John appointed him titular archbishop of Iustinianopolis in Galatia. He received his episcopal consecration on 12 November 1961 in Rome's

San Carlo al Corso Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso (usually known simply as ''San Carlo al Corso'') is a basilica church in Rome, Italy, facing onto the central part of the Via del Corso. The apse of the church faces across the street, the Mausoleum of Augustus o ...

from Cardinal

Amleto Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. C ...

. On 16 September 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

named him Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. On 23 May 1973, Pope Paul VI appointed him

Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil The Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of Brazil is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Brazil. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. Apost ...

. He returned to Rome for medical treatment and died at the

Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic The Gemelli University Hospital ( it, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli) is a large general hospital in Rome, Italy. With 1575 beds, it is the second-largest hospital in Italy, the largest hospital in Rome and one of the lar ...

on 12 May 1982.

Notes

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Carmine Rocco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocco, Carmine 1912 births 1982 deaths People from the Province of Caserta Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Apostolic Nuncios to Brazil Apostolic Nuncios to the Philippines Apostolic Nuncios to Bolivia