Audrys Bačkis | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop Emeritus of Vilnius | |
 Cardinal Bačkis | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Vilnius |
| Province | Vilnius |
| Appointed | 24 December 1991 |
| Term ended | 5 April 2013 |
| Predecessor | Julijonas Steponavičius |
| Successor | Gintaras Grušas |
| Other post | Cardinal Priest of Natività di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo a Via Gallia |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 18 March 1961 by Luigi Traglia |
| Consecration | 4 October 1988 by John Paul II |
| Created cardinal | 21 February 2001 by John Paul II |
| Rank | Cardinal Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Audrys Juozas Bačkis (1937-02-01)1 February 1937 (age 88) |
| Nationality |  Lithuania Vatican City |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Parents | Stasys Antanas Bačkis |
| Motto | sub tuum praesidium |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Audrys Juozas Bačkis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Vilnius (emeritus) |
Audrys Juozas Bačkis (Lithuanian:[ɐʊˈdʲrʲiːsˈjuɔzɐsˈbaːtɕkʲɪs]; born 1 February 1937) is a Lithuanian prelate of theCatholic Church and acardinal since 2001.[1] He worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1964 to 1991, when he became Archbishop of Vilnius. He retired in 2013.
Bačkis was born inKaunas to the family ofStasys Antanas Bačkis, a Lithuanian diplomat. In 1938 Bačkis' father was assigned to Paris where the family stayed after theSoviet occupation in June 1940.[2] He completed his secondary education at the Institute Saint-Marie-de-Monceau, and studied philosophy at the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice inIssy-les-Moulineaux.
Bačkis studied at thePontifical Gregorian University,Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, andPontifical Lateran University, there Bačkis obtained hisdoctorate in canon law. Bačkis wasordained to the priesthood byLuigi Traglia on 18 March 1961, in Rome. He then didpastoral work amongLithuanian Americans in the United States, and finished his studies in Rome in 1964.
In 1964 he entered thediplomatic service of theHoly See,[3] serving as secretary of thenunciature to the Philippines (1964–1965), to Costa Rica (1965–1967), to Turkey (1967–1970), and to Nigeria (1970–1973). Bačkis was raised to the rank ofPrivy Chamberlain of His Holiness on 26 June 1965, and was called to the Council of Public Affairs of the Church in theSecretariat of State in 1973.[2] He was the Vatican's delegate to the United Nations Conference inVienna in 1975, and became Vice-Secretary of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church in 1979.
On 5 August 1988, Bačkis was appointedPro-Nuncio to the Netherlands andTitular Archbishop of Meta byPope John Paul II.[4] He received hisepiscopal consecration on the following 4 October from Pope John Paul himself, with CardinalAchille Silvestrini and Bishop Juozas Preikšas serving asco-consecrators, inSt. Peter's Basilica.
He was namedArchbishop of Vilnius[3] on 24 December 1991.
John Paul II created himCardinal Priest ofNatività di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo a Via Gallia in theconsistory of 21 February 2001. Bačkis was one of thecardinal electors who participated in the2005 papal conclave that selectedPope Benedict XVI as well as in the one in2013 which selectedPope Francis.[4] Since having reached the age of 80, Bačkis is no longer eligible to vote in any future conclaves.
Within the LithuanianEpiscopal Conference, he has been president (1993–1999, 2002–2005)[4] andvice-president (1999–2002, 2005–2011). Besides his nativeLithuanian, the Cardinal speaks English, French, German, Italian, Polish, and has a limited comprehension of Dutch. He is also known as one of the Catholic hierarchy's better Latin speakers.[citation needed]
Pope Francis accepted Bačkis's resignation on 5 April 2013.[5]
Pope Francis named Bačkis as his Special Envoy to celebrations marking the 1,025th anniversary of the Baptism (Conversion) of theKievan Rus, to be held inKyiv,Ukraine, on 17 and 18 August 2013.[6]
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| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Netherlands 5 August 1988 – 24 December 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — Titular Archbishop of Meta 5 August 1988 – 24 December 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Vilnius 24 December 1991 – 5 April 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal Priest of Natività di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo a Via Gallia 21 February 2001 – | Incumbent |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
