Franco Agostinelli (born 1 January 1944) is a retired Italian prelate who served as Bishop of Prato and

Bishop of Grosseto The Diocese of Grosseto () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, a suffragan of the archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino, in Tuscany. Its current bishop is Giovanni Roncari, OFMCap.Otto*Crescentius (attested 1 ...

Biography

Franco Agostinelli was born on 1 January 1944 in

Arezzo Arezzo ( , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level. As of 2 ...

, a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy. He was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 9 June 1968 by Telesforo Giovanni Cioli, the

Bishop of Arezzo The Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It has existed since 1986. In that year the historic diocese of Arezzo was combined with the diocese of Cortona and the diocese of Sansepolcro, the enlarged ...

, in the Parish of San Marco alla Sella after studying at the seminary of

. After graduating from 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 ...

, where he received his licentiate in

dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Chu ...

in 1970, Agostinelli continued his studies at the

Pontifical Alphonsian Academy 150px, Alphonsus Liguori, whose teachings inspired the establishment of the Academy. The Pontifical Alphonsian Academy (; ), also commonly known as the Alphonsianum, is a pontifical institution of higher education founded in 1949 by the Redempt ...

, where he received a degree in moral theology in 1972. He first served in the Diocese of Arezzo as the vicar coadjutor of the cathedral and then as a parish priest of the Parish of the Sacred Heart. In 1984, he became the episcopal vicar for pastoral care and director of the catechetical office. He served as rector of the diocesan seminary from 1992 to 1994, and in 1997, he was appointed

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

Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro The Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It has existed since 1986. In that year the historic diocese of Arezzo was combined with the diocese of Cortona and the diocese of Sansepolcro, the enlarged d ...

and was confirmed in the position in 1999 by the new bishop,

Gualtiero Bassetti Gualtiero Bassetti (born 7 April 1942) is an Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve from 2009 to 2022. He has been a bishop since 1994 and was made a cardinal in 2014. He was president of the Italian ...

. On 17 November 2001, Agostinelli was appointed the

, and received his episcopal consecration from

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 ...

on 6 January 2002 in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

, with Cardinals

Leonardo Sandri Leonardo Sandri (born 18 November 1943) is an Argentine prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since November 2007 and vice dean of the College of Cardinals since January 2020. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern C ...

and

Robert Sarah Robert Sarah (; born 15 June 1945) is a Guinean Catholic prelate who served as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 23 November 2014 to 20 February 2021. He previously served as secretary of the ...

acting as co-consecrators. On 3 February 2002, he took possession of the ''Laurentian''

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

, officially taking charge of the diocese. During a pastoral visit launched in 2007, he came to the attention of the national Italian press. While visiting the ''

quartiere A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...

'' of Barbanella in the city of

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and a ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto and the main city of the Maremma region. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the ...

, he visited the local community of

Arcigay Arcigay is Italy's first and largest worldwide gay organisation. The association was first founded as a local association in Palermo in 1980, then nationally established in Bologna in 1985. The organisation became known throughout Italy for its ...

. Agostinelli maintained that it was his practice to appraise himself of all Catholic and non-Catholic institutions within his diocese. Acrigay interpreted the visit as an endorsement of homosexual relationships by the bishop. At the meeting, Aurelio Mancuso, the national president of Arcigay, was present along with numerous journalists. Following attention by the media, Agostineli renounced the visit, saying that it had been exploited, and said that he would carry out another visit without any political or media interference. Agostinelli continued to demonstrate openness to dialogue with homosexual communities, meeting with other organizations over the years. On 29 September 2012, he was appointed the Bishop of Prato by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

and was installed in the diocese on 25 November 2013.

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 ...

accepted his resignation on 15 May 2019.

References

External links

Diocese of PratoDiocese of Grosseto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agostinelli, Franco 21st-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Living people 1944 births People from Arezzo Bishops in Tuscany Bishops of Grosseto Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Pontifical Lateran University alumni