Franc Rode (or Rodé; born 23/09/1934) is a Slovenian

cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

. He is the prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, having served as prefect from 2004 to 2011. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006. He was raised to the rank of Cardinal-Priest on 20 June 2016 by

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. ...

while retaining his titular church.

Biography

Early life and religious profession

Franc Rode was born in Rodica near

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the a ...

, in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

(modern-day

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

). In 1945 he and his family sought refuge in Austria and later fled to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

in 1948. He entered the

Congregation of the Mission , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...

, more commonly known as the Vincentians or Lazarists, in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

in 1952, making his perpetual profession in 1957. Rode studied at 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 Rome, and at the Catholic Institute of Paris, from where he obtained his

doctorate in theology A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

in 1968. Rode is fluent in Slovene, Spanish, Italian, French, and German.

Pastoral work

Rode was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

to the priesthood by Bishop André-Jean-François Defebvre CM, on 29 June 1960 in Paris. In 1965, at the request of his superiors, Rode returned to Yugoslavia, where he worked as vice-

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, director of studies and provincial visitor of the Lazarists, and professor of fundamental

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

and

Missiology Missiology is the academic study of the Christian mission history and methodology, which began to be developed as an academic discipline in the 19th century. History Missiology as an academic discipline appeared only in the 19th century. It was ...

at the Theological Faculty of Ljubljana.

Curial work

In 1978 Rode was made

consultor A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

of the Secretariat for Non-Believers in the Roman Curia, being transferred to that

dicastery A dicastery (from gr, δικαστήριον, dikastērion, law-court, from δικαστής, 'judge, juror') is the name of some departments of the Roman Curia. ''Pastor bonus'' ''Pastor bonus'' (1988), includes this definition: ''Praed ...

in 1981 and rising to become its

Undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is ...

in 1982. During this time, he assisted in the organization of some significant dialogue sessions with European Marxists. When

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 ...

united the Pontifical Council for Culture and Pontifical Council for Non-Believers in 1993, he appointed Rode Secretary of the new Pontifical Council for Culture. As Secretary, he served as the second-highest official of that dicastery, under Paul Poupard.

Archbishop

On 5 March 1997, Pope John Paul appointed Rode Archbishop of Ljubljana. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 6 April from Archbishop

Alojzij Šuštar Alojzij Šuštar (14 November 1920 – 29 June 2007) was the Archbishop of Ljubljana from 1980 until 1997. He remained Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana after his retirement. He was born in Grmada near Trebnje and ...

, with Archbishop Franc Perko and Cardinal

Aloysius Ambrozic Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic (born Alojzij Matej Ambrožič; January 27, 1930 – August 26, 2011) was a Roman Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Toronto. He was made a cardinal on 21 February 1998. Biography Ambrozic was born near Gabrje in ...

, Archbishop of Toronto, a fellow ethnic Slovene bishop from the diaspora serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

, in the Cathedral of Ljubljana. Rode successfully guided the negotiations for a new

concordat A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law?'' (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960 st Edi ...

to final approval in 2004.

Cardinal

Rode was created a

Cardinal Deacon 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. ...

by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 March 2006. His motto is a phrase in Old Slovene, "Stati inu obstati" (To Exist and Persevere / To Stand and Withstand), taken from the Catechism of

Primož Trubar Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Prot ...

, which is also inscribed on the Slovenian 1 euro coin. In 2013 he was the first Slovenian in history to participate in a papal conclave.

Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life

Rode returned to the Roman Curia upon his nomination as

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on 11 February 2004.

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 ...

later created Rode

Cardinal-Deacon 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 ...

of S. Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella in the consistory of 24 March 2006. In January 2011, he retired as the prefect of the Congregation. Until his 80th birthday Rode was a member of the various offices in the Roman Curia: congregations of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; for Bishops; for the Evangelization of Peoples; for Catholic Education; Pontifical Council for Culture and the

Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei The Pontifical Commission ''Ecclesia Dei'' () was a commission of the Catholic Church established by Pope John Paul II's ''motu proprio'' '' Ecclesia Dei'' of 2 July 1988 for the care of those former followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who ...

. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected

Allegations of fatherhood

In August 2012 Slovenian media reported allegations that Rode had fathered a child. Rode denied the allegations and expressed willingness to submit to a DNA test. He also announced lawsuits against the media for alleged breaches of his

right to privacy The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information a ...

. "After all they've done to me they deserve this," he said.
RTVSLO.si 28 August (in Slovenian) Retrieved 21 September 2012. The DNA test proved negative.

References

External links

*
Franc Rode
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rode, Franc 1934 births Living people People from the Municipality of Domžale Slovenian emigrants to Argentina Vincentians Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Institut Catholique de Paris alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Ljubljana Slovenian cardinals 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Slovenia 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Slovenia Vincentian bishops Members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Members of the Pontifical Council for Culture Vincentian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI Members of the Congregation for Bishops Members of the Congregation for Catholic Education Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts