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Franc Rode | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop Emeritus of Ljubljana Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life | |
 | |
| Appointed | 11 February 2004 |
| Term ended | 4 January 2011 |
| Predecessor | Eduardo Martínez Somalo |
| Successor | João Braz de Aviz |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest ("pro hac vice") of San Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 29 June 1960 by André-Jean-François Defebvre |
| Consecration | 6 April 1997 by Alojzij Šuštar |
| Created cardinal | 24 March 2006 byPope Benedict XVI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Franc Rode (1934-09-23)23 September 1934 (age 90) Rodica, Slovenia |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Gregorian University,Catholic Institute of Paris |
| Motto | Stati inu obstati |
| Coat of arms |  |
Franc RodeCM (orRodé;[1] born 23 September 1934) is aSloveniancardinal of theCatholic Church. He is the prefect emeritus of theDicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, having served as prefect from 2004 to 2011. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006.[2]
He was raised to the rank of cardinal-priest on 20 June 2016 byPope Francis.
Franc Rode was born inRodica nearLjubljana, inYugoslavia (modern-daySlovenia). In 1945, he and his family sought refuge in Austria and later fled toArgentina in 1948. He entered theCongregation of the Mission, more commonly known as the Vincentians or Lazarists, inBuenos Aires in 1952, making his perpetual profession in 1957. Rode studied at thePontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and at theCatholic Institute of Paris, from where he obtained hisdoctorate in theology in 1968. Rode is fluent inSlovene, Spanish, Italian, French, and German.
Rode wasordained to the priesthood by Bishop André-Jean-François Defebvre CM, on 29 June 1960 in Paris. In 1965, at the request of hissuperiors, Rode returned to Yugoslavia, where he worked as vice-pastor,director of studies and provincial visitor of the Lazarists, and professor of fundamentaltheology andMissiology at the Theological Faculty of Ljubljana.
In 1978, Rode was madeconsultor of the Secretariat for Non-Believers in theRoman Curia, being transferred to thatdicastery in 1981 and rising to become itsUndersecretary in 1982. During this time, he assisted in the organization of some significant dialogue sessions with EuropeanMarxists. WhenPope John Paul II united thePontifical Council for Culture and Pontifical Council for Non-Believers in 1993, he appointed Rode Secretary of the new Pontifical Council for Culture. As Secretary, he served as the second-highest official of that dicastery, underPaul Poupard.
On 5 March 1997, Pope John Paul appointed RodeArchbishop of Ljubljana. He received hisepiscopal consecration on the following 6 April from ArchbishopAlojzij Šuštar, with Archbishop Franc Perko and CardinalAloysius Ambrozic,Archbishop of Toronto, a fellow ethnicSlovene bishop from the diaspora serving asco-consecrators, in the Cathedral of Ljubljana. Rode successfully guided the negotiations for a newconcordat to final approval in 2004.
Rode was created aCardinal Deacon by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 March 2006.His motto is a phrase in Old Slovene, "Stati inu obstati" (To Exist and Persevere / To Stand and Withstand), taken from the Catechism ofPrimož Trubar, which is also inscribed on theSlovenian 1 euro coin. In 2013, he was the first Slovenian in history to participate in a papal conclave.[citation needed]
Rode returned to the Roman Curia upon his nomination asprefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on 11 February 2004.[3]Pope Benedict XVI later created RodeCardinal-Deacon ofS. Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella in theconsistory of 24 March 2006. In January 2011, he retired as the prefect of the Congregation.[4][5]
Until his 80th birthday, Rode was a member of the various offices in theRoman Curia: congregations ofDivine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments;for Bishops;for the Evangelization of Peoples;for Catholic Education;Pontifical Council for Culture and thePontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.
He was one of thecardinal electors who participated in the2013 papal conclave that electedPope Francis.
In August 2012, the Slovenian newspaperDelo reported allegations that Rode hadfathered a child.[6] Rode denied the allegations and expressed willingness to submit to aDNA test. He also announced lawsuits against the media for alleged breaches of hisright to privacy. "After all they've done to me they deserve this," he said.[7] In October 2012, the alleged child, Peter Stelzer, and the alleged father, Franc Rode, performed a DNA test of fatherhood at theInstitute for Legal Medicine in Munich. The test was reported negative by the institute and both Rode and Stelzer irrevocably agreed with the reported result.[8][9]
Media related toFranc Rode at Wikimedia Commons| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Undersecretary of the Secretariat for Non-Believers 1982 – 1987 | Succeeded by José Montero |
| Preceded by Jordán Gallego Salvadores | Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers 1987 – 25 March 1993 | Office abolished |
| Preceded by Hervé Carrier | Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture 25 March 1993 – 5 March 1997 | Succeeded by Bernard Ardura |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Ljubljana 5 March 1997 – 11 February 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Slovenian Episcopal Conference 1997 – 2004 | Succeeded by Franc Kramberger |
| Preceded by | Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life 11 February 2004 – 4 January 2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal-Deacon ofSan Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella 24 March 2006 – 20 June 2016 | Himself as Cardinal-Priest |
| Himself as Cardinal-Deacon | Cardinal-Priest 'pro hac vice' of San Francesco Saverio alla Garbatella 20 June 2016 – | Incumbent |
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