Ruggero Franceschini,

OFMCap The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

(born 1 September 1939) is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the

Roman 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 ...

Biography

Ruggero Franceshini was born in

Prignano sulla Secchia Prignano sulla Secchia ( Modnese: ; locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about west of Bologna and about southwest of Modena. It is in the Modenese Apennines, in the va ...

, Italy, on 1 September 1938. He entered the

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

and made his vows in 1960. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

of that order on 11 August 1963. On 2 July 1993, he was appointed

apostolic vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

and titular bishop of

Sicilibba Sicilibba was an Classical antiquity, ancient civitas, Roman town of the Roman province of proconsular Africa. The ancient town is tentatively identifiable with the ruins at Alaouine (or Alaouenine) in today's Tunisia. Sicilibba was also the cathed ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. He received his episcopal

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on 3 October 1993 from Cardinal

Achille Silvestrini Achille Silvestrini (25 October 1923 – 29 August 2019) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served in the Vatican diplomatic corps, either in Rome or abroad, from 1953 to 1990, and later as Prefect of the Congregation for the Ori ...

, Prefect of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...

. On 11 October 2004, he was named

Archbishop of Izmir In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

. Shortly after arriving in Izmir, a police car that a deranged man had stolen struck him crossing the road. He spent months in the hospital and left him with a limp. He hired a Turkish lawyer and waited years for a resolution. He later connected it to other attacks he viewed as part of an anti-Christian campaign. On 12 June 2010, he was given the additional responsibility of

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the

Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia The Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Anatoliensis, tr, Anadolu Havarisel Vekilliği) is a Roman Catholic Latin apostolic vicariate in the eastern half of Anatolia (Asian Turkey). The missionary pre-diocesan jurisd ...

following the murder of Bishop

Luigi Padovese Luigi Padovese (31 March 1947 – 3 June 2010) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who became a bishop and served as the Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia in Turkey. He was a Franciscan and a scholar who devoted most of his career to teachin ...

. He did not accept the official explanation that Padovese had been the victim of a single mentally disturbed man. He connected it to other attacks and called it the work of "ultranationalists and religious fanatics". On 7 November 2015,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

accepted his resignation as archbishop and named

Lorenzo Piretto Lorenzo Piretto, O.P. (born 15 December 1942) is the emeritus Archbishop of Izmir and a Dominican friar. He was ordained to the episcopate and installed as Archbishop of Izmir on 20 December 2015, five days after his 73rd birthday. Biography ...

to succeed him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franceschini, Ruggero 1939 births Living people Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Capuchin bishops 21st-century Roman Catholic titular bishops Religious leaders from the Province of Modena 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Turkey