Virgilio Noè
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Virgilio Noè (30 March 1922 – 24 July 2011) was 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 ...
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
prelate and
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1991.


Early life and ministry

Noè was born in 1922 in Zelata di Bereguardo, Lombardy. He studied at the Seminary of
Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...
and was ordained a priest on 1 October 1944 by the Bishop of
Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...
, Carlo Allorio. After ordination he became parish priest of the parish of San Salvatore in Pavia and founded a youth association to promote participation in the liturgy. In 1948, Bishop Allorio sent him to Rome to study 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 ...
, where he earned a doctorate in
ecclesiastical history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...
in 1952, with a thesis entitled "The Religious Policies of the Lombard Kings". He taught
Ecclesiastical History __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...
,
Patristics Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...
, Liturgy and
Art History Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
in the seminaries of Pavia and
Tortona Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. History ...
. He was also spiritual director in the Collegio Sant'Agostino and the Collegio San Giorgio, and played a leading role in the diocesan liturgical commission. Among the projects undertaken were diocesan Eucharistic Congresses in 1956 and 1964.


Activity in Rome

In the years 1964–1969, starting therefore during the period of the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
, he was in charge of the national ''Centro di Azione Liturgica'' (''Centre for Liturgical Action'') in Rome, and editor of its journal ''Liturgia''. He was also lecturer in
Sacred Art Religious art is artistic imagery using religious inspiration and motifs and is often intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual. Sacred art involves the ritual and cultic practices and practical and operative aspects of the path of the spiritu ...
at the recently founded
Pontifical Liturgical Institute The Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome, located at Sant'Anselmo on the Aventine Hill, promotes the study of the Sacred Liturgy. It is entrusted to the Benedictine Confederation, and has the role of training professors of liturgy and liturgi ...
of Sant'Anselmo in the city, and when a commission was formed to revise the papal liturgical celebrations, he was made a member. From 1966 to 1968 he also served as vice-rector of the
Pontifical Lombard Seminary The Pontifical Lombard Seminary of Saints Ambrose and Charles in Urbe (Italian: ) is an ecclesiastical institution that serves as a residence for and trains diocesan priests who have been sent to Rome by their bishop to pursue an advanced degree or ...
in
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 ...
. When the Sacred
Congregation for Divine Worship it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...
(''Sacra Congregatio pro Cultu Divino'') was established in 1969 to take over the historical brief for liturgical affairs handled since 1588 by the Sacred Congregation of Rites (''Sacra Rituum Congregatio''), Mons. Noè was appointed its Undersecretary and held the post until the
Congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...
's short life came to an end. In the meantime, in 1970,
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 ...
appointed him Master of ceremonies, a post now renamed for the first time '' Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations'' and which he held until his appointment as a bishop in 1982, when Mons. John Magee was appointed to succeed him. In the same period he was chaplain to what is since called the Papal Gendarmeria. During his period in the office, the challenge for Mons. Noè was to find ways of apply the governing principles and the practical norms of the new liturgical books that were gradually being revised and published to unique circumstances of the papal liturgy. The papal liturgy is in many respects seen as a model, but is also almost always televised and has some papal rites which in the nature of things are peculiar to it. The results of Mons. Noè's work were generally considered to be a minimization of proper traditional Catholic rites and detrimental to life of the liturgy. He is considered a modernist who even made hideous alterations to the venerable St Peter's Basilica, which, while improved under Benedict XVI, still has not recovered from his desire to destroy. The new papal practice which he established was moderate, sober and devoid of anything but the bare minimum. The Masses and the more frequent liturgies for beatifications and canonizations, but also the special ceremonies called for by the Jubilee of 1975, the funeral of Paul VI and the inauguration of the pontificates of his successors, were all given a novel and nontraditional shape. The issuing of booklets for the people that were collector's items in their own right became a consolidated practice. Throughout this period, Mons. Noè's career then followed the complicated course of successive partial internal organizations of the Roman Curia. When in the summer of 1975 the Sacred
Congregation for Divine Worship it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...
was amalgamated with the Sacred
Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...
(''Sacra Congregatio de Disciplina Sacramentorum'') (founded in 1908 by
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
) to form a Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship (''Sacra Congregatio de Sacramentis et Cultu Divino''), Mons. Noè was appointed Undersecretary in charge of liturgical affairs.


Archbishop and Cardinal

On 30 January 1982, Noè was appointed Secretary of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...
and made
Titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...
Archbishop of Voncaria. He was ordained a bishop on 6 March 1982 in St. Peter's Basilica by
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 ...
, assisted by Archbishop
Eduardo Martínez Somalo Eduardo Martínez Somalo (; 31 March 1927 – 10 August 2021) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent most of his career in the Roman Curia, first in the Secretariat of State (Holy See), Secretariat of State from 1956 to 1975 an ...
and Antonio Giuseppe Angioni, Bishop of Pavia. Between 1984 and 1988 the dicastery was briefly redivided into the Congregation for the Sacraments (''Congregatio de Sacramentis'') and the
Congregation for Divine Worship it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...
(''Congregatio de Cultu Divino'') under a single Prefect. In this new version of the latter, Archbishop Noè was the sole Archbishop Secretary, according to the classic system. Then, as a result of the Apostolic Constitution ''
Pastor Bonus ''Pastor bonus'' (Latin: "The Good Shepherd") is an apostolic constitution promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988. It instituted a number of reforms in the process of running the central government of the Catholic Church. The docume ...
'' of 1988, this move was reversed and there emerged the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (''Sacra Congregatio de Cultu Divino de et Disciplina Sacramentorum''), which still exists. In this new entity, Archbishop Noè was no longer the sole Archbishop Secretary, but reverted to being once more Archbishop Secretary but in charge of a distinct section for Divine Worship. On 15 May 1989, Noè was named Coadjutor Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, giving him the right to succeed the ailing Cardinal
Aurelio Sabattani Aurelio Sabattani JUD (18 October 1912 – 19 April 2003) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura from 1967 until his death and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1983. Educa ...
in that position. At the same time he was appointed Delegate of the Fabric of St. Peter, a body he could expect to head as Archpriest. Noè was made
Cardinal-Deacon 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 Bosco in Via Tuscolana The Basilica of Saint John Bosco is a church in the Don Bosco quarter of Rome, situated between the via Tuscolana and Centocelle Airport. It is dedicated to Saint John Bosco. On 5 February 1965, Pope Paul VI established this church as a deaconry u ...
in the consistory of 28 June 1991 by
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 ...
. Three days later, upon the retirement of Cardinal Sabattani, he was made
Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...
of
St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
, President of the Fabric of St. Peter, and Vicar General of Vatican City. From 1993 to 1996 he was also President of the Cardinalatial Commission for the Pontifical Shrines of Pompei, Loreto and Bari. After 10 years as Cardinal-Deacon, Noè took the option of elevation to the rank of Cardinal-Priest with the
titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary de ...
of Regina Apostolorum as of 26 February 2002. He once said that
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 ...
spoke of the "smoke of Satan" when referring to priests who celebrated Mass badly.


Death and Burial

On 24 July 2011, Cardinal Noè died in Rome at the age of 89. His funeral Mass was celebrated on 26 July 2011 in the apse of
St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
, by Cardinal
Angelo Sodano Angelo Raffaele Sodano, GCC (23 November 1927 – 27 May 2022) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church and from 1991 on a cardinal. He was the Dean of the College of Cardinals from 2005 to 2019 and Cardinal Secretary of State from 1991 ...
, Dean of the College of Cardinals and concelebrated by a large number of Cardinals and bishops. He is buried in the cemetery of Campo Verano, Rome.


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noè, Virgilio 1922 births 2011 deaths 21st-century Italian cardinals 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II People from the Province of Pavia Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Italian art historians Liturgists 20th-century Italian cardinals