Giuseppe Maria Sensi (27 May 1907 – 26 July 2001) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as a longtime Vatican diplomat.

Biography

Sensi was born in

Cosenza Cosenza (; Languages of Calabria#Northern Calabrian (Cosentian), Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000, while the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. ...

, Italy, on 27 May 1907, the sixth of ten children of a prominent local politician. He was ordained a priest in December 1929 at the age of 22. In preparation for a diplomat's career he completed the course of study at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1931. By 1934 he was working in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He worked in minor roles in many nunciatures.

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

named him Permanent Observer of the Holy See to UNESCO on 21 May 1953. On 21 May 1955

appointed him

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Sardes Sardis ( ) or Sardes ( ; Lydian language, Lydian: , romanized: ; ; ) was an ancient city best known as the capital of the Lydian Empire. After the fall of the Lydian Empire, it became the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Lydia (satrapy) ...

and

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. He was consecrated a bishop on 24 July. He was appointed

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

on 12 January 1957.

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 ...

appointed him on 10 May 1962 the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland. He was transferred to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

on 8 July 1967. On 24 May 1976 he was created

Cardinal-Deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

of Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari by Pope Paul at the age of 69. He took part in both of the

conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

s of 1978 that elected

Pope John Paul I Pope John Paul I (born Albino Luciani; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal h ...

and

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 ...

. After ten years as a Cardinal Deacon he took the option of becoming a Cardinal-Priest on 22 June 1987, becoming Cardinal-Priest of Regina Apostolorum. He died at the age of 94 on 26 July 2001.

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sensi, Giuseppe 1907 births 2001 deaths Apostolic nuncios to Costa Rica Apostolic nuncios to Ireland Apostolic nuncios to Portugal Permanent observers of the Holy See to the United Nations Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI 20th-century Italian cardinals 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops Participants in the Second Vatican Council Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni Bishops appointed by Pope Pius XII