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Alberto di Jorio | |
|---|---|
| Pro-President Emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Appointed | 14 August 1961 |
| Term ended | 4 November 1968 |
| Successor | Sergio Guerri |
| Other post | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Pudenziana (1967–1979) |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 18 April 1908 |
| Consecration | 19 April 1962 by Pope John XXIII |
| Created cardinal | 15 December 1958 by Pope John XXIII |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon (1958–1967) Cardinal-Bishop (1967–1979) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alberto di Jorio 18 July 1884 |
| Died | 5 September 1979(1979-09-05) (aged 95) Rome,Italy |
| Buried | Santa Pudenziana |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Roman Seminary |
| Motto | Innova |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Alberto di Jorio | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Alberto di Jorio (18 July 1884 – 5 September 1979) was acardinal of the Catholic Church and for many years along with the laymanBernardino Nogara the powerhouse behind the growing wealth of the Vatican and theIstituto per le Opere di Religione (popularly known as the "Vatican Bank").
Alberto di Jorio was born in Rome on 18 July 1884. From his earliest years di Jorio was destined for a career in theRoman Curia. He entered the most prestigious of Roman seminaries, thePontifical Roman Seminary, and after becoming a priest in 1908 soon took up a role as an official in thevicariate of Rome. Despite doing some work as a pastor in Rome, di Jorio was always chiefly concerned with his work in theVatican bureaucracy, and in 1918 he took up a role as president of theIstituto per le Opere di Religione ("Institute for Works of Religion").
Under the direction ofPope Pius XI, who was eager to settle the "Roman Question" that had kept the Pope as a "prisoner of theVatican" since Italian unification in 1870, di Jorio formed a close association withBernardino Nogara in the 1920s. After theLateran Treaty settled the "Roman Question" and made the Vatican an independent state, di Jorio was chosen by Nogara to run the Vatican Bank, and aided by laws that allowed Nogara to freely buy shares in any company even if its business activities did not align with Catholic Church teaching, the Vatican grew immensely wealthy, buying extensively into such wealthy corporations asGeneral Motors,Standard Oil,General Electric andIBM – as well asItalgas, the major supplier of gas in Italy at the time.
Di Jorio continued to run theIstituto per le Opere di Religione until afterVatican II, but he also played many other roles in the Curia during these years. He became Secretary of theCollege of Cardinals in 1947 and in that role was secretary of the1958 conclave that electedPope John XXIII. Immediately following his election, Pope John put his cardinal's redzucchetto on di Jorio's head,[1] a traditional promise that he would make di Jorio a cardinal. Six weeks after the conclave, on 15 December 1958, di Jorio was elevated toCardinal-Deacon ofS. Pudenziana.[2] After Pope John decided that all cardinals should be bishops, di Jorio was consecratedtitular archbishop of Castra Nova on 19 April 1962 in St. John Lateran by Pope John, along with 11 other cardinal deacons.[3] He opted for the order ofcardinal priests on 26 June 1967.[4]
Di Jorio participated in the Second Vatican Council and in the conclave of 1963 that electedPope Paul VI. He continued to lead the Vatican Bank until 1968. On 4 November 1968, Pope Paul accepted di Jorio's resignation–which he had submitted several times in recent years–as pro-president of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State.[5]
He was one of the cardinals immediately affected when, in 1970, Pope Paul determined that only cardinals who had not reached 80 years of age would be allowed to participate in the election of a pope.[6] Upon the death ofJosé da Costa Nunes on 29 November 1976, di Jorio became the oldest member of the College of Cardinals. Pope Paul VI preached the homily at a Mass celebrating the seventieth anniversary of di Jorio's priestly ordination.[citation needed]
He died at home in Rome on 5 September 1979 at age 95.[7]
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Oldest living Member of the College of Cardinals 29 November 1976 – 5 September 1979 | Succeeded by |
| 1950s | |
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| 1960s | |
