Ugo Poletti (19 April 1914 – 25 February 1997) was an Italian
cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
who served as
Vicar General of Rome from 1973 to 1991, and was elevated to the
cardinalate in 1973.
Biography
Born in
Omegna, Poletti studied at the
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...
in
Novara
Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...
before being
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...
to the priesthood on 29 June 1938. He then served as vice-
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of the
theological
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
seminary and
bursar
A bursar (derived from "bursa", Latin for '' purse'') is a professional administrator in a school or university often with a predominantly financial role. In the United States, bursars usually hold office only at the level of higher education (fo ...
of the general
diocesan seminary in Novara until 1946. After a period of
pastoral
A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music ( pastorale) that de ...
work from 1946 to 1951, Poletti was made Pro-
Vicar General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
of Novara in 1954, and on 16 June 1955 a
Protonotary Apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...
.
On 12 July 1958, Poletti was appointed
Auxiliary Bishop of
Novara
Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...
and
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 a ...
of Medeli. He received his
episcopal consecration on the following 14 September from Archbishop Vincenzo Gremigni,
MSC
MSC may refer to:
Computers
* Message Sequence Chart
* Microelectronics Support Centre of UK Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
* MIDI Show Control
* MSC Malaysia (formerly known as Multimedia Super Corridor)
* USB mass storage device class (USB MSC ...
, with Bishops Mario Longo Dorni and Francesco Brustia serving 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 Churches ...
. Poletti attended the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
from 1962 to 1965, and was later named
Archbishop of Spoleto
The Archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia ( la, Archidioecesis Spoletana-Nursina) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. Historically, it was the Diocese of Spoleto. Elevated to the status of an archdio ...
on 26 June 1967.
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo 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 to his death in Augus ...
made him
Titular Archbishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In ...
of ''Aemona'' and Second
Vicegerent
Vicegerent is the official administrative deputy of a ruler or head of state: ''vice'' (Latin for "in place of") and ''gerere'' (Latin for "to carry on, conduct").
In Oxford colleges, a vicegerent is often someone appointed by the Master of a ...
of Rome on 3 July 1969, and then Pro-Vicar General of Rome on 13 October 1972. He was also president of Pontifical Mission Aid Societies (1964–1967), a member of the
, and was President of Pontifical Works and of the Liturgical Academy.
Poletti was created
Cardinal-Priest
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
of ''
Ss. Ambrogio e Carlo
SS is an abbreviation for ''Schutzstaffel'', a paramilitary organisation in Nazi Germany.
SS, Ss, or similar may also refer to:
Places
*Guangdong Experimental High School (''Sheng Shi'' or ''Saang Sat''), China
*Province of Sassari, Italy (vehi ...
'' by Pope Paul in the
consistory of 5 March 1973, in advance for his appointment as
Vicar General of Rome, and also
Archpriest of the
Lateran Basilica, on 26 March of that same year. As Vicar General, Poletti administered the
diocese
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 associat ...
in the name of the Pope, who is the Bishop of the
diocese of Rome
The Diocese of Rome ( la, Dioecesis Urbis seu Romana; it, Diocesi di Roma) is the ecclesiastical district under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Churc ...
.
One of the
cardinal electors who participated in the
conclaves of
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named '' Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in t ...
and
October 1978, Poletti is believed to have received up to thirty votes during a ballot of the latter conclave. Earlier, in July 1976, the newsletter ''Bulletin de l'Occident Chrétien'' had claimed that Poletti himself, among other high-ranking Church officials, was a
Freemason, having been initiated on 17 February 1969, with the Masonic
code name
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
of "Upo". According to
David Yallop, in his 1984 book ''In God's Name'', it was because of these alleged Masonic connections that
Pope John Paul I had planned on transferring Poletti as
Archbishop of Florence. From 1985 to 1991, he was President of the
Italian Episcopal Conference
The Italian Episcopal Conference ( it, Conferenza Episcopale Italiana) or CEI is the episcopal conference of the Italian bishops of the Catholic Church, the official assembly of the bishops in Italy.
The conference was founded in 1971 and carrie ...
.
Upon his resignation as Cardinal Vicar on 17 January 1991, he was made Archpriest of the
Liberian Basilica. In that same year, he allegedly authorized the interment of
gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix ''-ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...
Enrico De Pedis in the
crypt
A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a ...
of
Sant'Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine Church in Rome.
Cardinal Poletti died from a heart attack in Rome,
[Catholic World News]
Cardinal Poletti, Former Rome Vicar, Dies at 83
26 February 1997 at age 82. He is buried in the chapel of Santa Lucia in the Liberian Basilica.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poletti, Ugo
1914 births
1997 deaths
20th-century Italian cardinals
Participants in the Second Vatican Council
20th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops
Archbishops of Spoleto
Apostolic pronotaries
Cardinal Vicars
Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI