James Michael Harvey (born October 20, 1949) is an American Catholic prelate who served from 1982 to 1998 in the central administration of the Holy See's Secretariat of State. From 1998 to 2012, Harvey managed the pope's household, first for

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 ...

and then for Pope Benedict XVI. He was named a bishop in 1998, an archbishop in 2003, and a cardinal in 2012.

Biography

Early years and priesthood

Harvey was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 20, 1949. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on June 29, 1975, by Pope Paul VI in Rome. Harvey studied at St. Francis Seminary and then resided at the Pontifical North American College while studying for a Doctor of Canon Law degree at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He also studied diplomacy at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome. Harvey entered the Vatican diplomatic service on March 25, 1980. He served as attaché and then secretary in the apostolic nunciature in the Dominican Republic for two years. On July 10, 1982, Harvey took a position in the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. He was named assessor for general affairs of that secretariat on July 22, 1997.

Prefect of the papal households and archbishop

On February 7, 1998, Harvey was named prefect of the papal household by Pope John Paul II, who consecrated him a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

of Memphis on March 19, 1998. As prefect, he oversaw the restoration of the papal audience hall and the papal apartments at Castel Gandolfo in Lazio, Italy. The pope elevated him to archbishop on September 29, 2003. Later, in 2012, a member of Harvey's staff was convicted of stealing documents and leaking them to the media.

Archpriest and cardinal

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Harvey as archpriest of St Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four major basilicas in Rome, on November 23, 2012. The next day, the pope appointed him cardinal-deacon of San Pio V a Villa Carpegna. On December 22, 2012, Harvey was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints for a five-year renewable term. On January 31, 2013, Harvey was appointed a member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Harvey was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected

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 ...

. Harvey was awarded the title Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

by the President of the Republic in 1999. He has also been titled Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. Pope Francis named Harvey a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura on June 21, 2021. From 4 March 2022 to 1 July 2024, Harvey was—among the cardinal electors—the highest ranking cardinal deacon. He was thus, as protodeacon, responsible for announcing the election of a new pope. He was elevated to the order of cardinal priests, and thus ceased to be protodeacon, on 1 July 2024. He again participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. Besides his native English, he speaks Italian, German, French, and Spanish.

McCarrick scandal

According to a 2018 ''Washington Post'' report, Harvey was one of many Catholic prelates who received large cash gifts from former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. In an interview, Harvey said that receiving money from other prelates was in no way out of the ordinary, adding that "it never occurred to me that this would be in some way improper" and that "it wasn't about currying favor".

References

External links

*
James Michael ''Cardinal'' Harvey
profile at Catholic-Hierarchy.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, James Michael Prefects of the Papal Household Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Diplomats for the Holy See Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular archbishops Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Religious leaders from Milwaukee St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni 1949 births Living people Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 21st-century American cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI Members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II