Loris Francesco Capovilla
Cardinal-Priest | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 October 1915 |
| Died | 26 May 2016 (aged 100) Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy |
| Motto | Oboedientia et Pax (Obedience and Peace) |
| Coat of arms |  |
Ordination history of Loris Francesco Capovilla | |||||||||||||
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| Styles of Loris Francesco Capovilla | |
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Your Eminence | |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Loris Francesco Capovilla (14 October 1915 – 26 May 2016) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate and a cardinal. At his death, he was the oldest living Roman Catholic bishop from Italy and the fourth oldest in the world. At the time of his elevation to the rank of cardinal in 2014, he was the oldest member of the College of Cardinals.
He served as the personal secretary to Pope John XXIII from 1958 to 1963.
Biography
Early life and priesthood
Capovilla was born in Pontelongo in 1915 as the son of Rodolfo Capovilla and Letizia Callegaro. He had one sister, Lia. He was baptized in Pontelongo. His father later died in 1922 and this in turn led Capovilla to move to Mestre in 1929 following a period of precariousness and wandering.[1]
Capovilla studied at the Patriarchal Seminary of
He formed a close friendship with Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (later Pope John XXIII) when the cardinal was the Patriarch of Venice. He commenced his service under Roncalli on 15 March 1953. He claimed, however, to have never called himself Roncalli's friend, but considered him his bishop, his father and his patriarch. He remained at Roncalli's side as papal secretary after Roncalli's election to the papacy in 1958 until his death in 1963.[1]
Capovilla served as Roncalli's conclavist at the
Episcopate and cardinalate
Capovilla was appointed bishop of the
On 12 January 2014 Pope Francis announced that Capovilla would be elevated to the College of Cardinals on 22 February 2014. Capovilla said it was a "sign of attention to all those thousands of priests around the world who have spent their lives in silence, in poverty, in obedience, happy to serve God and our humble people, who need, as Pope Francis continually says, tenderness, friendship, respect and love."[2]
Capovilla received a dispensation and did not attend the consistory where he was named cardinal. He said: "I'm not strong enough and I feel uncomfortable at the thought of meeting so many people." He was named
He died in Bergamo on 26 May 2016.[4][5] For his entire cardinalate, he was the oldest living Cardinal.
In 1964, he published a memoir, The Heart and Mind of John XXIII: His Secretary's Intimate Recollection (published by Hawthorn Books). As of 2013, he resided in Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII, about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Milan.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Profile: CAPOVILLA, Loris Francesco". Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ^ Rocca, Francis X. (5 February 2014). "At 98, Blessed John XXIII's secretary to be oldest living cardinal". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Beretta Cardinalizia per Capovilla". Avvenire. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ Agasso Jr., Domenico (26 May 2016). "È morto Capovilla, fu segretario di papa Giovanni XXIII". Vatican Insider (in Italian). Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ Grimes, William (26 May 2016). "Loris Francesco Capovilla, Pope John's Aide and 'Spiritual Son,' Dies at 100". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
External links
- Loris Francesco Capovilla
- Loreto Site (in Italian)
- Chieti-Vasto Site (in Italian)
- Profile, 4 May 2012, Catholic News Service at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2012-05-09)
