Michele Giordano (26 September 1930 – 2 December 2010) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate, who was the

Archbishop of Naples The Archdiocese of Naples () is a Latin Catholic archdiocese in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded there in the 1st century AD and the diocese of Naples was raised to the level of an Archdiocese in the 10 ...

and a

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. ...

Biography

Giordano was born at

Sant'Arcangelo Sant'Arcangelo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on ...

, in

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

. He was educated at the Minor Seminary in Potenza and later at the Pontifical Regional Seminary, Salerno and finally at the Pontifical Inter-regional Seminary, Posillipo. He was ordained to the priesthood on 5 July 1953. He served from 1953 to 1971 successively in the diocese of Anglona-Tursi as pastor; director of the center for social studies; diocesan assistant of the Catholic Action; professor of religion; vicar general. He was created

Chaplain of His Holiness Chaplain of His Holiness is a title of distinction given by the Pope in recognition of a priest's service to the Church. They are addressed with the honorific of "Monsignor" and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and ve ...

on 23 February 1968. In 1971

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 ...

named him as the

titular bishop 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 ...

of Lari Castello and the Auxiliary Bishop of

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

, and, in 1974, as the Archbishop of Matera; it was eventually renamed as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Matera-Irsina. He obtained the title of Metropolitan Archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples The Archdiocese of Naples (; ); ) is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded there in the 1st century AD and the diocese of Naples was raised to the level of an ...

in 1987. The following year

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 ...

created him

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. ...

San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello ("St Joachim's at the Fields of the Castle") is a church in Rome dedicated to Saint Joachim, the father of Mary, mother of Jesus. Construction began in 1891 and the building was opened to the public in 1898. It ...

. In 2000 Giordamo stood trial in Naples on charges of allegedly using Church funds to support his brother's

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at Usury, extremely high or illegal interest rates, has strict terms of debt collection, collection, and generally operates criminal, outside the law, often using the threat of violence or other illegal, ...

operation. Although acquitted, this made him the most senior cleric in Italy ever to stand trial. He retired in May 2006, and was succeeded by Cardinal

Crescenzio Sepe Crescenzio Sepe (; born 2 June 1943) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Naples from 2006 to 2020. He served in the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2001 to ...

. Cardinal Giordano was admitted to the Monaldi Hospital in Naples with respiratory problems and died a week later on 2 December 2010, at age 80. In the papal telegram of condolence sent on 3 December 2010 to Cardinal Sepe,

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 ...

offered prayers for the repose of his soul and the Apostolic Blessing to all those in mourning, stating that he learned of the prelate's death "with great sadness."

References

. 1930 births 2010 deaths People from Sant'Arcangelo 20th-century Italian cardinals Archbishops of Naples Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI {{Italy-RC-cardinal-stub