Marcello Semeraro | |
|---|---|
| Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints | |
 Semeraro in 2017 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Santa Maria in Domnica |
| Appointed | 15 October 2020 |
| Predecessor | Giovanni Angelo Becciu |
| Other posts | |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 8 September 1971 by Francesco Minerva |
| Consecration | 29 September 1998 by Cosmo Francesco Ruppi |
| Created cardinal | 28 November 2020 byFrancis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marcello Semeraro (1947-12-22)22 December 1947 (age 77) |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Lateran University |
| Motto | In spiritu seminare |
| Coat of arms | .svg) |
Marcello Semeraro (born 22 December 1947) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints since October 2020. He was previouslyBishop of Albano and secretary to thegroup of cardinals named byPope Francis to advise him.
Pope Francis raised him to the rank ofcardinal on 28 November 2020.
Semeraro was born inMonteroni di Lecce,Province of Lecce, Italy. He was ordained to the priesthood on 8 September 1971. He received his Doctor of Theology degree in 1980 from thePontifical Lateran University. On 25 July 1998 he was namedBishop of Oria. He was consecrated on 29 September 1998 by ArchbishopCosmo Francesco Ruppi with Archbishops Domenico Caliandro and Donato Negro as co-consecrators.
He taught at thePontifical Lateran University in 2001.Pope John Paul II chose him as Special Secretary of the 2001Synod of Bishops,[1] which considered the role of the bishops in contemporary society. That Synod's final statement pointed to social injustice as the root cause of terrorism and decried third world debt and "the enduring drama of hunger and extreme poverty". Semeraro commented: "There is a strong will to dismantle the image of bishops as men of power and to reinstitute the image of bishops as men of service."[2]
On 1 October 2004 he was named Bishop of Albano.
He is a Consultant to theCongregation for the Clergy and theItalian Episcopal Conference (IEC), and a member of the IEC Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith.
On 4 May 2007 he was elected president of the administrative board of the IEC newspaperAvvenire, in place of CardinalAngelo Bagnasco of Genoa, who had been elected president of the IEC.
In June 2010, he became president of the IEC Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith.
On 13 April 2013 Pope Francis appointed him secretary of the commission of cardinals appointed to advise him on the government of the Church and the organization of the Roman Curia.[3]
On 4 November 2013, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Exarchic Monastery andTerritorial Abbacy of Saint Mary of Grottaferrata.[4]
In a 2017 interview, Semeraro described the work of the Council of Cardinals: listening, reflecting, and verifying. The Council, he said, listens to the contributions of the Church; reflects on those contributions, and looks into the details of them, considering the best way of going forward. It then makes proposals to the Pope; as Semeraro explained, the Council has a consultative role.[5]
On 15 October 2020, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of theCongregation for the Causes of Saints.[6]
On 25 October 2020, Pope Francis announced he would raise him to the rank ofcardinal at a consistory scheduled for 28 November 2020.[7] At that consistory, Francis made him Cardinal-Deacon ofSanta Maria in Domnica.[8] On 16 December he was named a member of theCongregation for Oriental Churches and theDicastery for Communications.[9]
He participated as acardinal elector in the2025 papal conclave that electedPope Leo XIV.[10]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Oria 25 July 1998 – 1 October 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Albano Laziale 1 October 2004 – 15 October 2020 | Succeeded by Vincenzo Viva |
| Preceded by | Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints 15 October 2020 – present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Domnica 28 November 2020 – present | |
