Paolo Sardi (1 September 1934 – 13 July 2019) was an Italian

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 ...

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 spent his career in the Roman Curia. He was patron of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

from 2009 to 2014.

Early life and priesthood

Sardi was born in

Ricaldone Ricaldone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southwest of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 650 and an area of .All de ...

Province of Alessandria The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part o ...

; his father was a farmer and his mother a schoolteacher. He studied at the local seminary of the Diocese of Acqui and then in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

and Rome, where he earned a licentiate in theology from 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 ...

in 1958. Sardi was ordained a priest on 29 June 1958. He graduated in

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

from the Gregorian in 1963 and completed a degree in jurisprudence at the Università Cattolica Milano in 1968. He taught moral theology in Turin until 1976, when he began his career in the Roman Curia, working in the Secretariat of State. In 1990, he was made manager of its Office of General Affairs. In 1992 he was appointed Vice Councillor for General Affairs.

Curial career

On 10 December 1996 Sardi was given the title Apostolic Nuncio with special responsibilities and appointed Titular Archbishop of Sutrium 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 ...

. Sardi coordinated the Vatican office that writes and edits the pope's texts and addresses. On 6 January 1997, Pope John Paul consecrated him an archbishop in

Saint 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 ...

. Among his pastoral duties while at the Secretariat, he for many years said Mass daily at the tomb of

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 ...

in St. Peter's. Sardi would serve as the speechwriter for John Paul II as well. On 23 October 2004,

appointed him Vice Camerlengo (chamberlain) of the Holy Roman Church. In this position he was one of a small number of Vatican officials to visit Pope John Paul in his last days. He held that post until Santos Abril y Castelló was named to replace him on 22 January 2011. The role of vice camerlengo was in addition to his duties at the Secretariat; he complained to Pope Benedict about poor management there in 2009 and joked that, "I'm trying to see in these situations (which, to tell the truth, are numerous) the benevolent intervention of Providence, that wants to prepare me to leave the Secretariat without regrets". He was appointed Pro-Patron of the

on 6 June 2009. On 30 November 2010, after he became a cardinal, his title changed from Pro-Patron to Patron of the Order of Malta. He held that position until 8 November 2014.

Cardinal

On 20 November 2010,

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 ...

created him Cardinal-Deacon of

Santa Maria Ausiliatrice in Via Tuscolana The Church of Saint Mary Help of Christians in Via Tuscolana ( it, Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, la, S. Mariae Auxiliatricis in via Tusculana) is a parish and titular church, minor basilica of Rome. The titulus ''S. Mariae Auxiliatricis in via Tu ...

. On 29 December 2010 he was appointed a member of the

Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, formerly called Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL; la, Congregatio pro Institutis Vitae Consecratae et Soci ...

; the Congregation for the Causes of Saints; and the

Pontifical Council for the Laity The Pontifical Council for the Laity was a pontifical council of the Roman Catholic Curia from 1967 to 2016. It had the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their co ...

. To this Pope Benedict added membership in the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura on 31 May 2011. He was one of the

cardinal electors 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 ...

who participated in the

2013 papal conclave The 2013 papal conclave was convened to elect a pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation on 28 February 2013. After the 115 participating cardinal-electors gathered, they set 12 March 2013 as the beginning of the conclave. On ...

that elected

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. ...

. One analysis of Vatican politics following that conclave described Sardi as "one of ardinal Tarcisio

Bertone Bertone is an Italian surname meaning "descendant of Roberto". Notable people with the surname include: * Alicia Bertone, American academic, researcher, and veterinary surgeon * Catherine Bertone (born 1972), Turkish-born female Italian marathon r ...

's political adversaries within the Curia". In 2009 Sardi had complained to Pope Benedict about Vatican mismanagement when Bertone as Secretary of State was the Curia's most powerful figure, writing to Benedict that "for some time in various parts of the church, including among people extremely faithful to it, critical voices have been raised about the lack of coordination and confusion which reigns at its center". Sardi died in Rome's Gemelli University Hospital after a brief illness on 13 July 2019 at the age of 84. Bertone led his concelebrated funeral Mass in St. Peter's on 15 July; Pope Francis delivered the final commendation and blessing.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sardi, Paolo 1934 births 2019 deaths People from the Province of Alessandria 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops Diplomats of the Holy See Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI 21st-century Italian cardinals Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore alumni Members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Patrons of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta