Edoardo Menichelli (born 14 October 1939) is an Italian prelate of the

Catholic Church 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 ...

. He served as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ancona-Osimo from 2004 to 2017.

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 ...

made him a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

on 14 February 2015.

Biography

Early life

Edoardo Menichelli was born in Serripola in

San Severino Marche San Severino Marche is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. History From prehistory to Roman age The oldest remains of human ...

province of Macerata The province of Macerata () is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Macerata. The province contains 55 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''), listed in the ''comuni'' of the province of Macerata. Located between the rivers ...

and the Diocese of San Severino Marche on 14 October 1939. He studied theology and philosophy at institutional seminars of San Severino Marche and

Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...

and then at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

in Rome, where he obtained a licentiate in pastoral theology.

Priesthood and career

On 3 July 1965 he was ordered a priest of the Diocese of San Severino Marche. He then became assistant pastor in the parish of St. Joseph in San Severino Marche and taught religion in state schools. On 30 September 30, 1986, with the unification of the Diocese of San Severino Marche with the Archdiocese of Camerino, he was assigned to the new

Archdiocese of Camerino-San Severino Marche The Italian Archdiocese of Camerino-San Severino Marche () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church based in Camerino, a city in the Province of Macerata, in the central Italian Marche region of the Apennines. It is a suffragan of the Archdioces ...

. From 1968 to 1991 he served in the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

in the

Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal on any ecclesiastical matter). In addition, ...

, then from 1992 to 1994 in the secretariat for the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named the Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches (), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible f ...

, where he met the Cardinal

Achille Silvestrini Achille Silvestrini (25 October 1923 – 29 August 2019) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served in the Vatican diplomatic corps, either in Rome or abroad, from 1953 to 1990, and later as Prefect of the Congregation for the O ...

and became his secretary.

Episcopate

On 10 June 10, 1994, he was appointed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

as Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto. He was consecrated bishop on 9 July in Rome by Cardinal Silvestrini, with Archbishops

Antony Valentini Antony Valentini (born 28 January 1965) is a British-Italian theoretical physicist known for his work on the foundations of quantum physics.Lee Smolin: '' The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes ...

and

Piergiorgio Nesti Piergiorgio Silvano Nesti (11 February 1931 – 13 December 2009) was an Italian Roman Catholic archbishop. Ordained on 30 August 1959, Nesti was appointed archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Camerino-San Severino Marche on 23 July 199 ...

as co-consecrators. He spent ten years in Chieti. On 8 January 2004,

appointed him Archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, and he took possession of the archdiocese on 7 March. He has been secretary of the Committee for the family of the

Italian Episcopal Conference The Italian Episcopal Conference () or CEI is the episcopal conference of the Italian bishops of the Catholic Church. The conference was founded in 1971 and carries out various tasks, including setting the national liturgical norms for the Mass. ...

and has headed committees for the family, ecumenism and the pastoral care of leisure for the Marche bishops' conference. On 15 October 2014, on reaching his 75th birthday, he submitted his resignation as require by canon law but Pope Francis has extended the appointment for one year.

Cardinalate

On 4 January 2015,

announced Menichelli would be made a cardinal at a consistory on 14 February. He was assigned the titular church of Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria a Tor Fiorenza. He was appointed a member of the

and of the

Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers was a pontifical council set up on 11 February 1985 by Pope John Paul II who reformed the Pontifical Commission for the Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers into its new f ...

. Pope Francis accepted his resignation as archbishop on 14 July 2017. On 30 September 2017 Francis named him a member of the

Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal on any ecclesiastical matter). In addition, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menichelli, Edoardo 1939 births Living people 21st-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Francis 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Pontifical Lateran University alumni Members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches People from San Severino Marche