Aldo Berardi,

O.SS.T. The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Brumetz, Cerfroid, outside Paris, in the late 12th century. From the ...

(born 30 September 1963) is a French

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

bishop. He is the

vicar apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

of the

Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia 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 ...

. On 28 January 2023, Msgr. Berardi was appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Arabia. He previously served as the

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives.

Life

Berardi was born in

Longeville-lès-Metz Longeville-lès-Metz (, literally ''Longeville near Metz''; - 1915-18 and 1940-44) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Population Notable people * Jeff Roland, artist See also * Communes of the M ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, on September 30, 1963. In 1979, he entered the Foyer-Séminaire in

Montigny-lès-Metz Montigny-lès-Metz (, literally ''Montigny near Metz''; , (1940–1944) ''Montenich'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is the largest suburb of the city of Metz, and is adjacent to it on the we ...

and attended George de la Tour High School in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

. From 1982 to 1984, he studied Philosophy at the Major Seminary of Villers-lès-Nancy. He then served in his civil service in

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

from 1984 to 1986, where he held positions as a French teacher, librarian, and cultural officer. In 1986, Berardi entered the novitiate of the

Trinitarian Order The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Cerfroid, outside Paris, in the late 12th century. From the very ou ...

in Cerfoid,

, and made his first religious profession in 1987. He then studied

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the Major Seminary of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

from 1987 to 1990, and made his perpetual profession in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in December 1990. He was ordained a priest in

Ars-sur-Moselle Ars-sur-Moselle (, literally ''Ars on Moselle''; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France. History Ars-sur-Moselle was a part of Germany, in the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine, from 1871 to 1918. It ...

, France, on July 20, 1991. From 1990 to 1992, Berardi attended the Accademia Alfonsiana in

and obtained a Licentiate in

Moral Theology Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics" A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply satisfyin ...

. During this time, he also served at Caritas Rome. He then served as director of a Spirituality Centre in Cerfoid from 1992 to 1998, and held various positions such as parochial vicar, school chaplain, chaplain of a psychiatric hospital, Boy Scout assistant, and Catholic Action assistant. From 2000 to 2006, Berardi directed the Centre Sainte Bakhita in Cairo, which sheltered Sudanese refugees. He served in the Sacred Heart Parish in

Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, from 2007 to 2010 and was Provincial Counsellor for his

Congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...

from 2009 to 2012. From 2011 to 2019, he returned to the

, serving as Parish Priest and Episcopal Vicar. From 2019 to 2023, Berardi served as

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the Order of the Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives, President of the General Secretariat of Formation, and Legal Representative of the Congregation’s Generalate. On January 28, 2023,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed Berardi as the new Apostolic Vicar of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, succeeding

Camillo Ballin Camillo Ballin (June 24, 1944 – April 12, 2020) was an Italian-Bahraini Catholic bishop, writer, missionary, and educator who was the Vicar Apostolic of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia. Family and early life Camillo Ballin, son of L ...

, MCCJ, who died on April 12, 2020. He was ordained on 18 March 2023 at Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral, Bahrain by Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

References

External links

1963 births Living people Bahraini Christians Catholic Church in Kuwait Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula Roman Catholic bishops in the Middle East French Roman Catholic bishops in Asia People from Moselle (department) {{France-RC-bishop-stub