Justin Francis Rigali (born April 19, 1935) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

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 ...

. After a diplomatic and academic career in Rome, he served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003. He then served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 2003 until his resignation in 2011, following a probe into the Archdiocese of Philadelphia sex abuse scandal. He was created 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 ...

in 2003.

Biography

Early life and education

The youngest of seven children, Justin Rigali was born on April 19, 1935, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, to Henry Alphonsus and Frances Irene (née White) Rigali. His sister Charlotte joined the Sisters of St. Joseph and his brother Norbert the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

. Rigali attended Holy Cross School before entering the preparatory seminary in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, in 1949. Rigali studied at one of the Los Angeles College campuses, at Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary in San Fernando, California, and at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California.

Priesthood

Rigali was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Cardinal James Francis McIntyre on April 25, 1961. After his ordination, Rigali received pastoral assignments at parishes in Los Angeles and

Downey, California Downey is a city located in Southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities. The city is the birthplace of the Apollo space program and Taco Bell. It is ...

. In 1961, Rigali earned a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

degree from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

in Washington, D.C. In October 1961, he entered the graduate division of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, obtaining a Doctor of Canon Law degree from the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

in 1964. While in Rome, Rigali served as an assistant during the first two sessions (1962–1963) of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. Rigali returned to California in the summer of 1964 and was briefly assigned as an associate pastor at a parish in Pomona. Back to Rome, he studied at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy from 1964 to 1966 in preparation for his diplomatic work for the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

Vatican Secretariat

Rigali began his service in the English section of the Secretariat of State on November 25, 1964. From September 1966 to February 1970, he served as secretary of the

Apostolic Nunciature An apostolic nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See that is equivalent to an embassy. However, it neither issues visas nor has consul (representative), consulates. The head of the apostolic nunciature is called a ''nuncio ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. The Vatican named Rigali as a papal chamberlain on July 11, 1967. On February 11, 1970, Rigali became director of the English section of the Secretariat of State. He also served as the English translator for

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 ...

, accompanying him on several international trips. During his service at the Secretariat of State, Rigali also served as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

at a

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

monastery and as a professor at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. He accompanied

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 several international trips, including his 1979 and 1987 visits to the United States. The Vatican elevated Rigali to a prelate of honor on April 19, 1980, and to a magistral chaplain in the Order of the Knights of Malta on October 25, 1984.

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy

On June 8, 1985, Rigali was appointed

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and titular archbishop of Volsinium by John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on September 14, 1985, from John Paul II, with Cardinals Eduardo Somalo and Achille Silvestrini 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 Churche ...

, at Albano Cathedral in Lazio, Italy. Rigali selected as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

: ''Verbum Caro Factum Est'', meaning, "The Word Became Flesh" (). He was named a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre on October 13, 1986. From 1985 to 1990, Rigali also held several positions within 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 ...

: * Secretary of the

Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usu ...

, appointed by John Paul II on December 21, 1989; he was the second-highest official of that

dicastery A dicastery (; ; from ) is the name of some departments in the Roman Curia 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 C ...

. * Secretary of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

, named by John Paul II on January 2, 1990 * Member of the Permanent Interdicasterial Commission * Member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America * Member of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

* Member of the

Pontifical Council for the Laity The Pontifical Council for the Laity was a pontifical council of the Roman Catholic Curia from 1967 to 2016. It had the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their ...

* Member of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church During the same time, Rigali also provided pastoral service to

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

and

seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...

in Rome.

Archbishop of St. Louis

On January 25, 1994, John Paul II named Rigali as the seventh archbishop of St. Louis. Rigali was installed in St. Louis, Missouri, by Cardinal Bernardin Gantin on March 15, 1994. Rigali became a member of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

on November 7, 1994. During his tenure at

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Rigali showed a great interest in schools, visiting every Catholic high school in the

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

. However, Rigali opposed

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...

by teachers and opposed any efforts they made to unionize. Rigali was widely credited as an able administrator and effective fundraiser, although observers said that his popularity dimmed as his tenure continued. In January 1999, Rigali hosted the visit of John Paul II to St. Louis. The pope reportedly decided to visit the archdiocese because of his longtime close friendship with Rigali in Rome. According to the '' St. Louis Business Journal'', Rigali "brought financial stability to the St. Louis Archdiocese, overseeing successful capital campaigns to address immediate needs and raising endowment funds for the future."

Archbishop of Philadelphia

Rigali was appointed the eighth archbishop of Philadelphia by John Paul II on July 15, 2003. He was installed as archbishop on October 7, 2003. On September 28, 2003, the Vatican elevated Rigali to the

, a customary privilege for the archbishops of Philadelphia. Rigali was created as

cardinal-priest 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. ...

of '' Santa Prisca'' in Rome during the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

of October 21, 2003. Rigali was the only American cardinal to serve as a concelebrant at the 2005 funeral Mass for John Paul II. He was also one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave, which selected

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 ...

. In September 2007, Rigali was named by

as a member of the

. On August 31, 2009, Benedict XVI appointed Rigali as the

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

to the Diocese of Scranton, following the resignations of Bishop Joseph Martino and Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty. Rigali served eight months as the apostolic administrator. On June 16, 2011, Benedict XVI appointed Rigali to serve as his special envoy to the celebrations at

Prachatice Prachatice (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monumen ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Bishop John Neumann.

Retirement

On July 19, 2011, Benedict XVI accepted Rigali's resignation as archbishop of Philadelphia and named Archbishop Charles J. Chaput to succeed him. Chaput was installed as archbishop on September 8, 2011. Rigali then retired in residence at the Diocese of Knoxville. He was invited there by Bishop Richard Stika, with whom he shares living quarters. Rigali participated in the 2013 conclave that selected

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 ...

. Rigali remained eligible to vote in

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 until he reached 80 on April 19, 2015. In December 2013, Rigali retired from the Congregation for Bishops. During this period, Rigali participated in some activities in the Diocese of Nashville. In January 2023, Rigali was hospitalized in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, for a few days for an undisclosed medical condition.

Sexual abuse scandals

In October 2005, a grand jury empaneled in 2003 by Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham released a report on the cover-ups of sexual abuse by clergy in the archdiocese. In response to the report, Rigali stated that “no priests in ministry today who have an admitted or established allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against them.” However, some groups disputed the accuracy of that statement. In 2007, a former Catholic high school student reported that he had been repeatedly molested by Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The alleged abuse took place when Bransfield was priest teaching Lansdale Catholic High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, during the 1970s. Rigali, then archbishop of Philadelphia, announced in October 2009 that the allegations could not be substantiated and took no action against Bransfield. In 2011, Bransfield gave $1,000 to Rigali. Bransfield made other cash gifts to senior clerics in the archdiocese, including

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

Timothy C. Senior, the vicar for clergy. One of Bransfield's accusers said that Rigali and other archdiocesan officials "looked the other way" and failed to inform him about the church's handling of his complaint. In early 2011, another grand jury in Philadelphia reported that the archdiocese was still negligent in its handling of sexual abuse accusations against clergy. In March 2011, Rigali suspended 21 priests in a single day, "prompting criticism that he should have alerted prosecutors sooner."

Views

Same sex marriage

In June 2006, Rigali traveled to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

along with Archbishop John J. Myers and Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley to attend a press conference by US President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. The purpose was to support passage of the proposed Marriage Protection Amendment to the US Constitution in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

, which would ban civil unions and marriages by same sex couples. The amendment did not pass the senate in 2006 or in later years.

Abortion

As chair of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...

' Pro-Life Committee, he remarked during the annual Washington, DC, Pro life rally in January 2007 that there were "reasons for rejoicing" in the

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in response to the lega ...

cause because more and more young people were working for the cause, and that there was a "growing moral sensitivity among them." In 2009, Rigali endorsed passage of the Pregnant Women Support Act in Congress. He praised the bill for offering "an authentic common ground" that will provide many kinds of life-affirming support for pregnant women and their unborn children. The bill did not pass congress.

Conscience rights

In November 2009, Rigali, along with other Catholic prelates and religious leaders from other denominations, signed the '' Manhattan Declaration.'' The document reiterated conservative viewpoints on marriage and religious freedom ''.''

Stem cell research

In March 2009, Rigali described President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's lifting of George W. Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research as "a sad victory of politics over science and ethics."

Ordination of women

In April 2009, Rigali denounced the

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

ceremony of two Catholic women in Philadelphia, calling it a "pseudo-ordination" that "denigrates the truth entrusted to the Church by Christ himself." He excommunicated the two participants

Communications

Rigali has run a weekly series of

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

en discourses on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. In 2010, he established an official

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page.

Charity work

Rigali is an honorary council member of the St. Louis, Missouri–based humanitarian organization Wings of Hope.

References

External links

PodBean: Cardinal Justin Rigali - Podcast

Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville: Office of Cardinal Rigali

Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville: Tag Archive: Cardinal Justin Rigali
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rigali, Justin 1935 births Living people 21st-century American cardinals Diplomats for the Holy See Clergy from Los Angeles Roman Catholic archbishops of Philadelphia American people of Italian descent Roman Catholic archbishops of St. Louis Catholic University of America alumni Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Members of the Congregation for Bishops Members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Pontifical North American College alumni Presidents of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Catholics from California