Opilio Rossi

Cardinal Opilio Rossi ( born May 14, 1910 in New York, USA; † 9 February 2004 in Rome, Italy ) was a Vatican diplomat and later became a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

Life

Rossi was born in 1910 as a child of an Italian immigrant family in New York. He studied Catholic theology in the Italian Piacenza, Emilia -Romagna. There he also received on 11 March 1933, the sacrament of Holy Orders. Then Rossi entered the diplomatic service of the Vatican and initially worked at the Apostolic Nunciature in Belgium and the Netherlands, and later in the Pontifical Legation in Germany, where he worked in Berlin the Second World War and its end experienced and stood up for many in need. On November 21, 1953 Pope Pius appointed him Titular Archbishop of Ancyra XII.zum and Apostolic Nuncio in Ecuador. The bishop He was ordained on 27 December of the same year by Aloysius Cardinal Muench.

On March 25, 1959, he was named by Pope John XXIII. Apostolic Nuncio to Chile, and on September 25, 1961 to succeed the late Archbishop Giovanni Dellepiane in the post of the head of the Apostolic Nunciature in Austria.

In 1976 he returned to Rome. Pope Paul VI. took him on 24 May of the same year as cardinal deacon with the title Diakonia Santa Maria a Monte Testaccio Liberatrice to the College of Cardinals. Rossi was 1976-1984 president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (vice president was from 1980, the German Bishop Paul Josef Cordes ), to 1981 and President of the Pontifical Committee for the family. Pope John Paul II appointed him later as President of the Commission of Cardinals for the papal shrines of Pompeii, Loreto and Bari and as President of the Standing Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses. In 1987 he was elevated to cardinal priest with the titular church of San Lorenzo in Lucina. Once Rossi had already reached the age of 80 years, John Paul II entpflichtete him on 3 January 1991 by all tasks in the Roman Curia.

Rossi died in Rome. The funeral service was conducted on 13 February 2004 by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter personally, celebrated Mass, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean.

Since 1985, the Union of Catholic associations (GAB ) awards in an annual cycle, the " Cardinal Opilio Rossi Medal" for service to the Catholic Lay Apostolate. Opilio Rossi was in 1967 an honorary member of the Catholic fraternity KAV Danubia in the ACA, since 1995 Honorary Member of the Catholic fraternity KAV since June Capitolina Rome in CV as well as the Catholic alumni association Lützow Leoben MKV. He was also honored by the State of Vorarlberg with the honor of the Province of Vorarlberg in gold in 1968.