Francesco Montenegro (born 22 May 1946) 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 ...

prelate 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 ...

. He served as the Archbishop of Agrigento from 2008 until 2021.

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. ...

made him a cardinal on 14 February 2015.

Early life and career

Francesco Montenegro was born in Messina on 22 May 1946. He studied philosophy and theology at the Archdiocesan Seminary Saint Pius X there. He was ordained a priest on 8 August 1969 and then continued his studies at the Ignatianum of Messina. He did parish work during 1969–1971 in a suburban area of the city of Messina and in 1971–1978 served as secretary to the Archbishops of Messina Francesco Fasola and Ignazio Cannavò. From 1978 to 1988 he was pastor of the parish of San Clemente in Messina and then director of the diocesan branch of Caritas, regional delegate of Caritas, and finally regional representative of the Italian Caritas. He also fulfilled assignments as a professor of religion, diocesan assistant of Italian Sports Center, diocesan director of the Apostleship of Prayer, rector of the church sanctuary of Santa Rita and spiritual adviser of the minor seminary, and a member of the Council of Priests . From 1997 to 2000, he was pro-vicar general of the

Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela The Archdiocese of Messina ( la, Archidioecesis Messanensis-Liparensis-Sanctae Luciae) was founded as the Diocese of Messina but was raised to the level of an archdiocese on 30 September 1986 with the merging with the former Diocese of Lipari ( ...

and served as well beginning in 1998 as proto-metropolitano canon of the chapter of the cathedral of Messina.

Bishop, archbishop and cardinal

On 18 March 2000,

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 him auxiliary bishop of Messina-Lipari-Saint Lucia del Mela and titular bishop of

Aurusuliana Aurusuliana was a Roman Era city located in what was the Roman Province of Byzacena (Roman North Africa) and today modern Tunisia. The exact site of the city remains unknown and a source of some controversy. It is now generally considered to have be ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on 29 April 2000 in the cathedral of Messina from Archbishop Giovanni Marra. From May 2003 to May 2008, and again from May 2015 to December 2018, he was President of Italian Caritas. On 23 February 2008,

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 soverei ...

named him Archbishop of Agrigento, replacing Carmelo Ferraro, who had resigned because of his age. He took possession of the archdiocese on 17 May. Since May 2013, he has been President of the Commission for Migration of the

Italian Episcopal Conference The Italian Episcopal Conference ( it, Conferenza Episcopale Italiana) or CEI is the episcopal conference of the Italian bishops of the Catholic Church, the official assembly of the bishops in Italy. The conference was founded in 1971 and carrie ...

. On 4 January 2015,

announced that he would make Montenegro a cardinal during the consistory in Rome on 14 February. At that ceremony, he was assigned the titular church of Santi Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio. On 13 April 2015, Pope Francis appointed Montenegro a member of

Pontifical Council Cor Unum The Pontifical Council ''Cor Unum'' for Human and Christian Development was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church from 1971 to 2016. History The Pontifical Council was established by Pope Paul VI on 15 July 1971 an ...

and

Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People ( la, Pontificium Consilium de Spirituali Migrantium atque Itinerantium Cura) was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia. The council, established by Pope John Paul I ...

. Pope Francis also named him to participate in the Synod on the Family in October 2015. Pope Francis appointed Alessandro Damiano Archbishop Coadjutor of Agrigento in anticipation of Montenegro's retirement on 30 April 2020 and accepted Montenegro's resignation on 22 May 2021. Montenegro was named a member of the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...

on 7 August 2021. On 19 June 2023, Pope Francis nominated him as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montenegro, Francesco 1946 births Living people 21st-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Francis 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Religious leaders from Messina

Early life and career

Bishop, archbishop and cardinal

See also

References

External links