Beniamino Stella | |
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| Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy | |
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| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Installed | 21 September 2013 |
| Term ended | 2 August 2021 |
| Predecessor | Mauro Piacenza |
| Successor | Lazarus You Heung-sik |
| Other post |
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| Previous posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 19 March 1966 by Constantino Stella |
| Consecration | 5 September 1987 by Pope John Paul II |
| Created cardinal | 22 February 2014 byPope Francis |
| Rank |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Beniamino Stella (1941-08-18)18 August 1941 (age 84) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Alma mater | |
| Styles of Beniamino Stella | |
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.svg) | |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Religious style | Cardinal |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Beniamino Stella (born 18 August 1941) is an Italian prelate of theCatholic Church. After working in thediplomatic corps of theHoly See, he served as prefect of theCongregation for the Clergy from 2013 to 2021. He was raised to the rank ofcardinal byPope Francis in 2014.
Beniamino Stella was born inPieve di Soligo,Province of Treviso,Italy. After finishing secondary education, he entered thePontifical Roman Seminary and studied philosophy and theology at thePontifical Lateran University.[1]
He wasordained a priest of theDiocese of Vittorio Veneto on 19 March 1966 by his uncle, ArchbishopCostantino Stella ofL'Aquila. That same year, to prepare for a diplomatic career he entered thePontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.[2] While there he also earned a degree in canon law from thePontifical Lateran University.
He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1970 and held posts in the nunciatures in theDominican Republic from 1970 to 1973 and inZaire as secretary from 1973 to 1976.[1] He was made achaplain of His Holiness on 5 September 1974.[3] From 1976 to 1978, he served in the Second Section of theSecretariat of State; then in Malta asauditor.[1] In 1978, after Malta's prime ministerDom Mintoff declared the nuncio,Antonio del Giudicepersona non grata,[4] Stella headed the nunciature aschargé d'affaires. In 1983, he was assigned to theCouncil for the Public Affairs of the Church.[1] He was assigned the rank of nunciature counselor on 1 February 1983.
On 21 August 1987,Pope John Paul II appointed Stellatitular archbishop ofMidila as well asApostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Republic of the Congo andApostolic Delegate to Chad.[5][a] Stella received his episcopal consecration from the Pope on 5 September.[1] On 15 December 1992, he was namedApostolic Nuncio to Cuba.[7] On 11 February 1999, he was appointedApostolic Nuncio to Colombia.[8]
On 13 October 2007Pope Benedict XVI appointed him President of thePontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.[9]
Pope Francis nominated him Prefect of theCongregation for the Clergy on 21 September 2013.[10][11] On 16 December 2013 he was appointed as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.[12]
In an interview on 27 February 2019, Stella revealed that, for approximately ten years, the Congregation of the Clergy had been responsible for matters concerning priests who violate their vows of celibacy. Regarding violation of the celibacy policy, Stella stated "In such cases there are, unfortunately, Bishops and Superiors who think that, after having provided economically for the children, or after having transferred the priest, the cleric could continue to exercise the ministry."[13]
Pope Francis accepted Stella's resignation as prefect of the congregation on 11 June 2021 and appointedLazarus You Heung-sik as his successor, with the proviso that Stella would stay on until You was able to move to Rome and take office.[14] You took up his new post on 2 August.[15]
In theconsistory of 22 February 2014, he was createdCardinal-Deacon ofSanti Cosma e Damiano.[16][17]
On 10 March 2015,Pope Francis appointed Stella a member of thePontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.[18]
He was named a member of thePontifical Commission for the Vatican City State on 11 June 2016,[19] of theSecretariat for Communications on 13 July 2016,[20] of theCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 28 October 2016,[21] of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 22 November 2016,[22] and of theCongregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on 4 October 2017.[23]
On 1 May 2020, Stella was raised to the order ofcardinal bishop and assigned thesuburbicarian see title of Porto-Santa Rufina.[24]
He has served as thepostulator for the canonization cause ofPope John Paul I since 2016.[citation needed]
Stella is ineligible to vote in the2025 papal conclave since he is over the age of 80, but he is still able to participate in the pre-conclave meetings of cardinals. According to reports, during one of these meetings, Stella criticized the late Pope Francis for "bypassing the long-standing tradition of the church" byallowing the Catholic laity to serve in theRoman Curia.[25][26][27] His remarks allegedly surprised other cardinals, as Stella was viewed as one of Francis' most trusted advisors. The same reports also mentioned Stella as a strong supporter of CardinalPietro Parolin for the papacy.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Republic of the Congo 7 November 1987 – 15 December 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba 15 December 1992 – 11 February 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia 11 February 1999 – 13 October 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Educational offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of thePontifical Ecclesiastical Academy 13 October 2007 – 21 September 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by | Prefect of theCongregation for the Clergy 21 September 2013 – 1 August 2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal Deacon ofSanti Cosma e Damiano 22 February 2014 – 1 May 2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal Bishop ofPorto-Santa Rufina 1 May 2020 – present | Incumbent |
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