Ernesto Civardi

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cardinal name=Ernesto Cardinal Civardi
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
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Ernesto Cardinal Civardi (October 21, 1906—November 28, 1989) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Bishops from 1967 to 1979, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1979.

Biography

Ernesto Civardi was born in Fossarmato, Pavia, and studied at the seminary in Pavia before being ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 1930. He then entered the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, from where he obtained his doctorate in canon law, and under the legal section of the Roman Rota, becoming a Rotal lawyer as well. His elder brother [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcivardil.html Luigi] (1886-1971) became a bishop in 1962.

Civardi served as Vice-Rector of the Pontifical Lombardian Seminary in Rome from 1932 to 1934, whence he began pastoral work in Rome and became an official of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation. He was raised to the rank of Domestic Prelate of His Holiness on July 15, 1950, and was Substitute (1953-1965) and Undersecretary (1965-1967) of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation. Civardi was also named Commissary of the Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments and Promoter of Justice on the Vatican City Tribunal in 1953. He later became a referendary (November 18, 1958) and voting prelate (October 10, 1962) of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, and served as a "peritus", or theological expert, at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). From 1965 to 1967, he was Counselor of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith.

On May 17, 1967, Civardi was appointed Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Bishops by Pope Paul VI, and later Titular Archbishop of "Serdica" on June 26 of that same year. He received his episcopal consecration on the following July 16 from Pope Paul himself, with Bishops Augusto Gianfranceschi and Jacques-Paul Martin serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter's Basilica. As Secretary, Civardi served as the second-highest official of that dicastery, successively under Cardinals Carlo Confalonieri and Sebastiano Baggio.

He was later named Secretary of the Sacred College of Cardinals, in addition to his duties in the Congregation for Bishops, on the same date of his consecration. In January 1968, Civardi visited Giacomo Cardinal Lercaro, and informed him of the Pope Paul's decision to accept the former's resignation as Archbishop of Bologna [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839662,00.html Who Fired the Cardinal?] December 13, 1968] . He acted as secretary of the papal conclaves of August and October 1978, although he was not permitted to vote. When the newly-elected Pope John Paul I's private secretary, Fr. Diego Lorenzi, accidentally entered the Apostolic Palace whilst it was still sealed for the conclave and encountered Civardi, the latter jokingly said, "You realize you are excommunicated." Lorenzi, rather unfamiliar with Vatican protocol, replied, "If I am, the Pope will restore me to the Communion of Saints" [National Catholic Reporter. [http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/word082903.htm Word From Rome] August 29, 2003] .

Pope John Paul II created him Cardinal Deacon of "S. Teodoro" in the consistory of June 30, 1979, ceasing to serve as Secretary of Bishops on that same date. Civardi lost the right to participate in any future papal conclaves upon reaching the age of eighty on October 21, 1986. He was a self-proclaimed "man of the Curia" [Holy See. [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/1989/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19891130_esequie-card-civardi_it.html Homily of Pope John Paul II at the Funeral Mass for Cardinal Ernesto Civardi - Italian] November 30, 1989] .

The Cardinal died in Rome at 3:30 a.m., at age 83. Following a funeral Mass celebrated by John Paul II at the altar of the Chair of St. Peter, he was buried in the chapel of the "Confraternità dei Lombardi" at Campo di Verano cemetery.

References

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-c.htm#Civardi Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcivardi.html Catholic-Hierarchy]