Carmine Rocco (12 April 1912 – 12 May 1982) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who devoted his entire career to the diplomatic service of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. He became an archbishop in 1961 and served as an Apostolic Nuncio from 1959 until his death.

Biography

Carmine Rocco was born on 12 April 1912 in

Camigliano Camigliano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about north of Naples and about northwest of Caserta Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania regi ...

, Italy, the last of seven children. He entered the local seminary at the age of twelve and studied at the Jesuit's Campano di Posillipo seminary from 1930 to 1936. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Teano-Calvi on 26 July 1936. To prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (, ) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. Despite its name, the P ...

in 1937. From 1939 to 1946 he was assigned to the nunciature in France, which was headed by

Angelo Roncalli Pope John 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 on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

, the future Pope John XXIII, as of 24 December 1944. He worked in Argentina from 1946 to 1949, in Rome at the Secretariat of State from 1953 to 1956, and in Brazil from 1956 to 1959. On 19 January 1959,

Pope John XXIII Pope John 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 on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

, who knew Rocco from their time together in France at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, named him

Apostolic Nuncio to Bolivia 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 5 October 1961, Pope John appointed him titular archbishop of Iustinianopolis in Galatia. He received his episcopal consecration on 12 November 1961 in Rome's

San Carlo al Corso San Carlo al Corso may refer to: * San Carlo al Corso, Milan, church in Milan, Italy * San Carlo al Corso, Noto, church in Noto, Italy * Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso (usually known simply as ''San Carlo al Cors ...

from Cardinal

Amleto Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. Cicogn ...

. On 16 September 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

named him Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. On 23 May 1973, Pope Paul VI appointed him

Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil 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 ...

. He returned to Rome for medical treatment and died at the Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic on 12 May 1982.

Notes

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Carmine Rocco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocco, Carmine 1912 births 1982 deaths People from the Province of Caserta Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Apostolic nuncios to Brazil Apostolic nuncios to the Philippines Apostolic nuncios to Bolivia Bishops appointed by Pope John XXIII 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops