Paolo Romeo | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop Emeritus of Palermo | |
 Cardinal Romeo presides over a Mass. | |
| Archdiocese | Palermo |
| Appointed | 19 December 2006 |
| Installed | 10 February 2007 |
| Term ended | 27 October 2015 |
| Predecessor | Salvatore De Giorgi |
| Successor | Corrado Lorefice |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Odigitria dei Siciliani (2010–) |
| Previous post(s) |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 18 March 1961 by Angelo Calabretta |
| Consecration | 6 January 1984 by John Paul II |
| Created cardinal | 20 November 2010 byBenedict XVI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paolo Romeo (1938-02-20)20 February 1938 (age 87) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Alma mater | |
| Motto | Caritas omnia sustinet |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Paolo Romeo | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Paolo Romeo (born 20 February 1938) is an Italian cardinal andarchbishop emeritus ofPalermo. He was appointed to the see of Palermo byPope Benedict XVI on 19 December 2006.[1]
Romeo was the fifth of nine children. After primary school he entered theseminary and began studyingtheology.
His bishop sent him to Rome in 1959 to complete his academic studies and he achieved thelicentiate in theology at theGregorian University and a doctorate incanon law at thePontifical Lateran University.
He wasordained on 18 March 1961 at the chapel of the Episcopal Seminary of Acireale, he was incardinated in theDiocese of Acireale. He continued his studies at the university and did pastoral ministry as assistant to the Scouts Group "Roma IX" in "Collegio San Giuseppe in Piazza di Spagna" and diocesan assistant of the association "Silenziosi Operai della Croce".
In 1964, he was admitted to thePontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and on 1 January 1967 he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See. Romeo worked in the nunciatures in thePhilippines, Belgium andLuxembourg and European Community, Venezuela, andRwanda andBurundi. In 1967, he was called to the Council for Public Affairs of the Church in the Secretariat of State. At the same time, he worked as director of the "Casa Internazionale del Clero" and was regional assistant for the Lazio of the AGESC.
In 1976 he was recalled to theVatican Secretariat of State to monitor the life of the Catholic community in the countries of Latin America and activities of theLatin American Episcopal Conference, especially at that time which involved preparation for the 3rd General Conference of that continent which opened on 29 January 1979.
On 17 December 1983 he was appointedTitularArchbishop ofVulturia byPope John Paul II and that same day was appointedApostolic Nuncio toHaiti. Romeo stayed in Haiti until his appointment to serve as Nuncio inColombia in April 1990. On 5 February 1999 he was appointed Nuncio to Canada.[2]
On 17 April 2001 was named to represent theHoly See in Italy andSan Marino.[3]Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Romeo to serve as theMetropolitan Archbishop ofPalermo on 19 December 2006, replacingSalvatore De Giorgi, who had reached the retirement age of 75 in September 2005. In 2005 Archbishop Romeo was awarded Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic.[4] Archbishop Romeo received the pallium in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on 29 June 2007 from Pope Benedict along with 45 other metropolitan archbishops. Archbishop Romeo was elected president of theSicilian Episcopal Conference on 14 February 2007.
He was createdCardinal-Priest ofSanta Maria Odigitria at aconsistory on 20 November 2010 and was eligible to vote in a papal conclave until his 80th birthday in 2018. He was one of thecardinal electors who participated in the2013 papal conclave that selectedPope Francis.
In December 2010 he was appointed a member of thePontifical Council for the Laity. On 3 October 2010 he welcomed Pope Benedict when he visited the Sicilian capital. Cardinal Romeo is Sicilian Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of theEquestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. At age 75 he submitted his resignation letter to Pope Francis, which was accepted on 27 October 2015.[5]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti 17 December 1983 – 24 April 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia 24 April 1990 – 5 February 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Canada 5 February 1999 – 17 April 2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Nuncio to Italy and San Marino 17 April 2001 – 19 December 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
| Preceded by | Titular Archbishop ofVulturia 17 December 1983 – 19 December 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Palermo 19 December 2006 – 27 October 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Apostolic Administrator ofEparchy of Piana degli Albanesi 8 April 2013 – 28 June 2015 | Succeeded by |
