Cardinal Rossi

Name:

H.E. Opilio Card. ROSSI

Position:

President Emeritus of the Commission of Cardinals for the Pontifical Sanctuaries of Pompeii, Loreto and Bari

Born:

Saturday, May 14, 1910

Died:

9 Febuary 2004 (Aged 93)

From:

Italy

Cardinal since:

Monday, May 24, 1976

Title:

Cardinal Priest of S Lorenzo in Lucina

Born in New York City on May 14, 1910, of Italian parents, Rossi completed his early studies at the Collegio Alberoni in Piacenza. He moved to Rome, earning his degree in Canon Law by writing a thesis on St. Basil. He was ordained on March 11, 1933. After studying at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, he was called upon by Msgr. Montini to work for the Secretary of State in1937, initiating his career in the service of the Holy See. In 1938 he was sent as a secretary to the Nunciature of Brussels. Between mid-1940 and 1945, Rossi was in Berlin. In 1953, he was named Nuncio to Ecuador; in 1959, to Chile; and in 1961, to Vienna, Austria. Appointed Archbishop of the titular Church of Ancira on November 21, 1953, Rossi was made a cardinal by Paul VI during the Consistory of May 24, 1976. Afterwards, he became the president of the cardinals' commission for the sanctuaries of Pompei, Loreto and Bari, a post he renounced in 1984.