Federico Lombardi

Federico Lombardi, SJ ( born August 29, 1942 in Saluzzo, Piedmont) is Director-General of Radio Vatican and head of the Vatican Press Office. His uncle Riccardo Lombardi was also a Jesuit and a well-known Italian folk missionary.

Life

Federico Lombardi grew up in Turin. He joined on 12 November 1960, the Society of Jesus and studied philosophy in Gallarate (1962-1965 ), mathematics in Turin ( 1965-1969 ) and theology at the Philosophical- Theological College Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main ( 1969-1973 ). In 1972 he received the sacrament of Holy Orders.

He then worked from 1973 to 1977 in the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica and was deputy editor. From 1984 to 1990 he held the office of Provincial of the Italian Jesuit province. In 1991 he was Program Director at Radio Vatican in Rome. He became director of CTV and 2005 General of Vatican Radio in 2001.

Following the resignation of Joaquin Navarro -Valls, he was on 11 July 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI. appointed as the new spokesman for the Holy See. The management of the Vatican Television Centre Centro televisivo Vaticano (CTV ), he handed over to Dario Edoardo Viganò on 22 January 2013. The 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus chose Lombardi in 2008 to one of the four General Assistants "ad providentiam ".

Awards

On April 18, 2013 Lombardi Award of the Allianz Group as a 'communicator of the year ".