Ersilio Tonini

Ersilio Cardinal Tonini ( born July 20, 1914 in Cento Vera di San Giorgio Piacentino, province of Piacenza, Italy, † July 28, 2013 in Ravenna) was Archbishop of Ravenna - Cervia. Until his death he was the oldest living Cardinal.

Life

Ersilio Tonini was born the third of five children of a wage peasants. He received according to theological and philosophical studies in 1937, the sacrament of Holy Orders and was appointed chancellor of the seminary of Piacenza. Subsequently, he studied from 1939 to 1943 Canon Law and Civil Law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. After returning to his native diocese, he worked as a teacher of Latin, Greek and Italian and was spiritual director of Catholic student groups. From 1947 he served as editor of the diocesan newspaper and dealt more with social issues. In 1953 Bishop appointed him parish priest in Salsomaggiore, where he built the " Oratory Don Bosco ". He was again transferred to Piacenza, where he was the rain provided the leadership of the seminary for one year in 1968.

1969 Pope Paul VI appointed him. Bishop of Macerata and Tolentino and the Pontifical administrator of Treia, Cingoli and Recanati. He received episcopal consecration on 2 June 1969 Archbishop Umberto Malchiodi, assisted by Agostino Casaroli and Carlo Colombo. In 1975, Tonini, Archbishop of Ravenna and administrator of the Diocese of Cervia, which were merged in 1986. Here he had to make difficult persuasion, there was a strong opposition against the Church itself and the decisions of the Second Vatican Council, especially in his new diocese. He succeeded through a lived faith witness that did not shrink before extraordinary measures to win the trust of the people of his diocese. So he gave up the magnificent palace of the archbishop, and went to live in a care center for seriously ill and addicted patients. He sought the public and became known by numerous television appearances, in which he also uncomfortable questions not eluded, in Italy.

At the end of his pontificate, Pope Paul VI appointed him. in 1978 with the leadership of the publisher NEI, who is responsible for the publication of the Church's newspaper " Avvenire ". In the same year Archbishop Tonini could re-open the seminary of Ravenna. He initiated a number of initiatives to proclaim the faith, founded a religious radio station and revived the diocese newspaper again. Under Ersilio Tonini changed the attitude of the people of his diocese, which had penetrated over many years by a noticeable anti-clericalism, which had led to many painful conflicts between practicing Catholics and non-Catholics. 1987 the archbishop intervened against restrictive anti-labor measures of textile entrepreneurs and put a socially acceptable solution through. He also founded a movement that is committed to the support of rural workers in Brazil. After his dispensation as diocesan bishop in 1990 Tonini worked despite his advanced age in parish ministry, as well as a philosophy teacher, retreat leader and journalist.

1991 Pope John Paul II commissioned him to lead the Spiritual Exercises for the Roman Curia. In the same year had the Archbishop Emeritus major role in the making of the movie " The Ten Commandments ". Since 1994 he was a member of the College of Cardinals as a cardinal priest with the titular church of the Most Holy Redeemer a Valmelaina. The applicable as media approached Cardinal Tonini, it was particularly important to establish contact with young people. Tonini died a week after his 99th birthday in a Catholic nursing home in Ravenna.

Honors

  • 2003: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
  • 2012: Honorary doctorate from the Libera Università degli Studi Per l' Innovazione e le Organizzazioni

Writings

  • Splendor Caritatis, Centro editoriale cattolico Carrocio 1994
  • Scegli che cosa e il resto ... amare verrà ( Sant'Agostino). Riflessioni ai giovani del Duemila, Milano, Paoline, 1996. ISBN 88-315-1185-8.
  • È tempo per i ragazzi. Quale Duemila per i ragazzi? , In Dialogo, 1999. ISBN 88-8123-132-8.
  • Paolo VI, dono d' amore alla Chiesa, Istituto Paolo VI. Brescia 2000
  • Romagna mia. Com'è bello poter ragionare. , Edizioni del Girasole 2004, ISBN 8875674396
  • Ersilio Tonini: cronaca di un cardinale, Associazione Banca dei progetti ONLUS Roma 2004
  • Scegliere nella verità. Un segreto Rivelato ai giovani, Roma, nello Spirito Renewal, 2002, ISBN 88-8386-142-6. ;, 2005. ISBN 88-7878-009- X.
  • Le Ragioni del cuore: intervista a monsignor Tonini, Touring club italiano Milano 2006
  • Pierfranco Rossetti, Le Ragioni del cuore. Intervista a monsignor Tonini, Touring Club Italiano, 2006 ISBN. 88-365-4094-5.
  • Profezie per l' ottimismo, Piemme 2008 ( editor P. Gambi )
  • La Finanza che serve. Dialogo sul denaro, l' economia e il futuro. Con un'antologia di interventi (1998-2008), a cura di Sergio Gatti, ECRA, Roma, 2008. ISBN 978-88-6558-025-7.
  • La ragione della speranza, Piemme 2009, ISBN 885660325X (Editor P. Gambi )
  • Scegliere nella verità. Un segreto Rivelato ai giovani, Servizi Rns 2010, ISBN 887878186X
  • Il gusto della vita. Perché alla Soglia dei cent'anni credo semper nella meraviglia, Piemme 2012, ISBN 8856605538 (Editor P. Gambi )
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