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{{Short description|Italian cardinal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = cardinal
| type = cardinal
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| honorific-suffix =
| honorific-suffix =
| title = [[President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State|President Emeritus of the Governatorate of Vatican City State]]
| title = [[President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State|President Emeritus of the Governatorate of Vatican City State]]
| image =Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo.JPG
| image = Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo.JPG
| caption = Cardinal Lajolo in [[Zarvanytsia, Terebovlia Raion|Zarvanytsia]], Ukraine; 18 July 2009
| caption = Lajolo, 18 July 2009
| alt =
| alt =
| church =
| church =
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| opposed =
| opposed =
| successor = [[Giuseppe Bertello]]
| successor = [[Giuseppe Bertello]]
| other_post = Cardinal-Deacon of S. Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio
| other_post = Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio "[[pro hac vice]]"
<!---------- Orders ---------->
<!---------- Orders ---------->
| ordination = 29 April 1960
| ordination = 29 April 1960
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| cardinal = 24 November 2007
| cardinal = 24 November 2007
| created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Benedict XVI]]
| created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Benedict XVI]]
| rank = Cardinal-Deacon
| rank = Cardinal-Deacon (2007–18)<br>Cardinal-Priest (from 2018)
<!---------- Personal details ---------->
<!---------- Personal details ---------->
| birth_name = Giovanni Lajolo
| birth_name = Giovanni Lajolo
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|01|03|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1935|01|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Novara, Italy
| birth_place = [[Novara]], [[Italy]]
| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
| buried =
| buried =
| nationality = Italian
| nationality = [[Italian People|Italian]]
| religion = Roman Catholic
| religion = [[Roman Catholic]]
| residence =
| residence =
| parents =
| spouse =
| children =
| occupation =
| occupation =
| profession =
| profession =
| previous_post = {{unbulleted list|Titular Archbishop of Caesariana (1988–2007)|Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (1988–1995)|Apostolic Nuncio to Germany (1995–2003)|Secretary (Relations with States) of the Secretariat of State (2003–2006)|President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (2006–2011)}}
| previous_post = {{unbulleted list|Titular Archbishop of Caesariana (1988–2007)|Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (1988–1995)|[[Apostolic Nunciature to Germany|Apostolic Nuncio to Germany]] (1995–2003)|Secretary (Relations with States) of the Secretariat of State (2003–2006)|President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (2006–2011)}}
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|[[Pontifical Roman Seminary]]|[[Pontifical Gregorian University]]|[[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich|University of Munich]]|[[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]]}}
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|[[Pontifical Roman Seminary]]|[[Pontifical Gregorian University]]|[[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich|University of Munich]]|[[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]]}}
| motto =
| motto =
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| coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Giovanni Lajolo.svg
| coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Giovanni Lajolo.svg
| coat_of_arms_alt =
| coat_of_arms_alt =
<!---------- Sainthood ---------->
| feast_day =
| venerated =
| saint_title =
| beatified_date =
| beatified_place =
| beatified_by =
| canonized_date =
| canonized_place =
| canonized_by =
| attributes =
| patronage =
| shrine =
| suppressed_date =
<!---------- Other ---------->
| other =
| other =
}}{{Infobox cardinal styles
}}{{Infobox cardinal styles
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| image = Coat of arms of Giovanni Lajolo.svg
| image = Coat of arms of Giovanni Lajolo.svg
}}
}}
'''Giovanni Lajolo''' (born 3 January 1935 in [[Novara]], Italy) is a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] and former [[President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]] and [[President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State]].
'''Giovanni Lajolo''' (born 3 January 1935) is an Italian [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] and former [[president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]] and president of the Governatorate of [[Vatican City State]].


==Early life and ordination==
==Early life and ordination==
Giovanni Lajolo was born on 3 January 1935 in [[Novara]], Italy.
He studied at the [[Seminary]] of [[Novara]], the [[Pontifical Roman Seminary]], and the [[Pontifical Gregorian University]] where he earned a [[licentiate]] in philosophy in 1955 and a [[licentiate]] in [[theology]] in 1959. He was ordained a priest on 29 April 1960.<ref name="bio"/> He entered the [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich|University of Munich]] where he studied for a doctorate in [[canon law]] which he was awarded in 1965. Then in 1965 he entered the elite [[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]] to study diplomacy, leaving in 1968.
He studied at the [[Seminary]] of [[Novara]], the [[Pontifical Roman Seminary]], and the [[Pontifical Gregorian University]] where he earned a [[Licentiate (degree)|licentiate]] in philosophy in 1955 and a [[Licentiate (degree)|licentiate]] in [[theology]] in 1959. He was ordained a priest on 29 April 1960.<ref name="bio"/> He entered the [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich|University of Munich]] where he studied for a doctorate in [[canon law]] which he was awarded in 1965. Then in 1965 he entered the elite [[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]] to study diplomacy, leaving in 1968.


==Secretariat of State==
==Secretariat of State==
He entered the service of the Secretariat of State in 1970. He worked in the [[nunciature]] in Germany collaborating with [[Corrado Bafile]], future cardinal, from 1970 to November 1974. He was a staff member of the Council for Public Affairs of the Church from November 1974. He was named counselor of nunciature on 1 January 1983. He closely followed the negotiations that led to the signing, in 1984, of the revision of the [[concordat]] between [[Italy]] and [[Holy See]].
He entered the service of the Secretariat of State in 1970. He worked in the [[nunciature]] in [[Germany]] collaborating with [[Corrado Bafile]], future cardinal, from 1970 to November 1974. He was a staff member of the Council for Public Affairs of the Church from November 1974. He was named counselor of nunciature on 1 January 1983. He closely followed the negotiations that led to the signing, in 1984, of the revision of the [[concordat]] between [[Italy]] and [[Holy See]].


==Bishop==
==Bishop==
On 3 October 1988, Lajolo was appointed [[Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See|Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See]] and [[Titular bishop|Titular Archbishop]] of ''[[Mauretania Caesariensis|Caesariana]]''<ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d3c28.html Caesariana (Titular See)- Catholic Hierarchy]</ref> by [[Pope John Paul II]]. He received his [[Bishop (Catholicism)|episcopal consecration]] on 6 January 1989 from John Paul himself, with archbishops [[Edward Idris Cassidy]] and [[José Tomás Sánchez]] serving as [[Consecrator|co-consecrators]], in [[St. Peter's Basilica]]. Lajolo was later named [[Apostolic Nunciature to Germany|Nuncio to Germany]] on 7 December 1995, and [[Secretary for Relations with States]] on 7 October 2003. As Secretary, he served as the [[foreign minister]] of the [[Holy See|Vatican]].
On 3 October 1988, Lajolo was appointed [[Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See|Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See]] and [[Titular bishop|Titular Archbishop]] of [[Mauretania Caesariensis|Caesariana]]<ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d3c28.html Caesariana (Titular See)- Catholic Hierarchy]</ref> by [[Pope John Paul II]]. He received his [[Bishop (Catholicism)|episcopal consecration]] on 6 January 1989 from John Paul, with archbishops [[Edward Idris Cassidy]] and [[José Tomás Sánchez]] serving as [[Consecrator|co-consecrators]], in [[St. Peter's Basilica]]. Lajolo was named [[Apostolic Nunciature to Germany|Nuncio to Germany]] on 7 December 1995, and [[Secretary for Relations with States]] on 7 October 2003. As Secretary, he served as the [[foreign minister]] of the [[Holy See|Vatican]].


==Secretary for Relations with States==
==Secretary for Relations with States==
He served as the [[Secretary for Relations with States]] in the [[Secretariat of State (Vatican)|Secretariat of State]], or [[foreign minister]] of the [[Holy See]], from 2003 until his appointment as president in 2006.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_lajolo_g_en.html|title=Biographical notes|date=13 June 2008|publisher=Holy See|accessdate=2009-01-09}}</ref> He speaks Italian, German, English and French.
He served as the [[Secretary for Relations with States]] in the [[Secretariat of State (Vatican)|Secretariat of State]], or [[foreign minister]] of the [[Holy See]], from 2003 until his appointment as president in 2006.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_lajolo_g_en.html|title=Biographical notes|date=13 June 2008|publisher=Holy See|access-date=2009-01-09}}</ref> He speaks Italian, German, English and French.


At a 2004 conference Archbishop Lajolo said that perfect religious freedom does not exist in any country in the world. "''Even in states in which the right to religious freedom is taken very seriously,''" he said, perfection is missing, often because a concern for church-state separation leads to penalising religious activity in the public sphere. He went on to say he said, government and taxation policies may limit the rights of parents to choose a religious education for their children or may penalise the charitable work of the church by not recognising its nonprofit status. Attempts to ban religiously motivated positions from public policy debates are also infringements on religious freedom, he said. Archbishop Lajolo and other speakers at the conference also voiced concern about the increasing threats to Christians in Iraq and in other countries with a Muslim majority following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.<ref>[http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0406633.htm]</ref>
At a 2004 conference Lajolo said that perfect religious freedom does not exist in any country in the world: "Even in states in which the right to religious freedom is taken very seriously, perfection is missing, often because a concern for church-state separation leads to penalising religious activity in the public sphere." He went on to say that "government and taxation policies may limit the rights of parents to choose a religious education for their children or may penalise the charitable work of the church by not recognising its nonprofit status. Attempts to ban religiously motivated positions from public policy debates are also infringements on religious freedom." Lajolo and other speakers at the conference also voiced concern about the increasing threats to Christians in Iraq and in other countries with a Muslim majority following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0406633.htm |title=Just a moment |access-date=3 December 2004 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20041203215434/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0406633.htm |archive-date=3 December 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


In 2005 Archbishop Lajolo was awarded Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]].<ref>[http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=161537]</ref>
In 2005 Lajolo was awarded Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]].<ref>[http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/DettaglioOnorificenze.aspx?decorato=161537 quirinale.it]</ref>


==Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State==
==Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State==
On 22 June 2006, Lajolo was appointed [[President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State|President]] of the [[Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]] and of the Governorate of [[Vatican City|Vatican City State]] by [[Pope Benedict XVI]]. In virtue of these two posts, he is delegated [[Legislature|legislative]] and [[Executive (government)|executive authority]] over the Vatican City by the pope. He was appointed [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal-Deacon]] of ''[[List of titular churches in Rome|S. Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio]]'' in the [[Papal consistory|consistory]] of 24 November 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vaticanstate.va/EN/State_and_Government/Structure_Governorate/Presidency/President/index.htm|title=President of the Governorate of Vatican City State|last=Uffici di Presidenza S.C.V.|publisher=Governorate of Vatican City State|accessdate=2009-01-09}}</ref>
On 22 June 2006, Lajolo was appointed [[President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]] and of the Governorate of [[Vatican City|Vatican City State]] by [[Pope Benedict XVI]]. In virtue of these two posts, he is delegated [[Legislature|legislative]] and [[Executive (government)|executive authority]] over the Vatican City by the pope. He was made [[Cardinal-Deacon]] of [[Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio]] in the [[Papal consistory|consistory]] of 24 November 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vaticanstate.va/EN/State_and_Government/Structure_Governorate/Presidency/President/index.htm |title=President of the Governorate of Vatican City State |last=Uffici di Presidenza S.C.V. |publisher=Governorate of Vatican City State |access-date=2009-01-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917081022/http://www.vaticanstate.va/EN/State_and_Government/Structure_Governorate/Presidency/President/index.htm |archive-date=17 September 2008 }}</ref>


As required by canon law he submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict having reached his 75th year in January 2010. His resignation was accepted on 3 September 2011, with Archbishop [[Giuseppe Bertello]] appointed as his successor starting on 1 October 2011.
He submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict when he turned 75 in January 2010. His resignation was accepted on 3 September 2011, with Archbishop [[Giuseppe Bertello]] appointed as his successor as of 1 October 2011.


He was one of the [[Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 2013|cardinal electors]] who participated in the [[Papal conclave, 2013|2013 papal conclave]] that selected [[Pope Francis]].
He was one of the [[Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 2013|cardinal electors]] who participated in the [[Papal conclave, 2013|2013 papal conclave]] that elected [[Pope Francis]].


==Curial work==
==Curial work==
He was granted membership in the [[Congregation for Bishops]], [[Pontifical Council for Culture]], and [[Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See]] (of which he had once been Secretary) on 12 June 2008.<ref name="HS">{{cite web|url=http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/22278.php?index=22278&lang=en|title= Nomina Di Cardinali Membri Dei Dicasteri Della Curia Romana|date=12 June 2008|work=Rinunce e Nomine|publisher=Holy See Press Office|language=Italian|accessdate=2009-01-09}}</ref> On 25 January 2010 he was appointed as a member of the [[Apostolic Signatura]], the Church's highest court.<ref>[http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/25033.php?index=25033&po_date=25.01.2010&lang=en#NOMINA%20DEL%20NUNZIO%20APOSTOLICO%20IN%20CAMERUN%20E%20IN%20GUINEA%20EQUATORIALE]</ref> He will remain on as a member of these bodies until his 80th birthday.
He was made a member of the [[Congregation for Bishops]], [[Pontifical Council for Culture]], and [[Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See]] (of which he had once been Secretary) on 12 June 2008.<ref name="HS">{{cite web|url=http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/22278.php?index=22278&lang=en|title= Nomina Di Cardinali Membri Dei Dicasteri Della Curia Romana|date=12 June 2008|work=Rinunce e Nomine|publisher=Holy See Press Office|language=it|access-date=2009-01-09}}{{Dead link|date=March 2016}}</ref> On 25 January 2010 he was appointed a member of the [[Apostolic Signatura]], the Church's highest court.<ref>[http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/25033.php?index=25033&po_date=25.01.2010&lang=en#NOMINA%20DEL%20NUNZIO%20APOSTOLICO%20IN%20CAMERUN%20E%20IN%20GUINEA%20EQUATORIALE]{{Dead link|date=March 2016}}</ref> He remained as a member of these bodies until his 80th birthday in 2015.


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}

* {{cite web| access-date = 3 December 2017| title= Lajolo Card. Giovanni |publisher= [[Holy See Press Office]] | url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_lajolo_g.html | url-status=live | archive-date= 19 September 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160919114538/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_lajolo_g.html }}
*[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/blajolo.html Catholic-Hierarchy.org profile]
*[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/blajolo.html Catholic-Hierarchy.org profile]
⚫
*[https://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/holy_see-e.pdf Cardinal Lajolo(2006),''Today's world and the ideology of power''. General Debate of the 61st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations]
*[http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=259 Catholic-pages bio]
⚫
*[http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/holy_see-e.pdf Cardinal Lajolo(2006),''Today's world and the ideology of power''. General Debate of the 61st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations]


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef|before=Lajos Kada}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lajos Kada]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Apostolic Nuncio to Germany]]|years=7 December 1995 – 7 October 2003}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Apostolic Nuncio to Germany]]|years=7 December 1995 – 7 October 2003}}
{{s-aft|after=Erwin Ender}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Erwin Josef Ender]]}}
{{s-break}}
|-
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Jean-Louis Tauran]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Jean-Louis Tauran]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Secretary for Relations with States]]|years=6 October 2003 – 15 September 2006}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Secretary for Relations with States]]|years=7 October 2003 – 15 September 2006}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dominique Mamberti]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dominique Mamberti]]}}
{{s-break}}
|-
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Angelo Felici]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[Caesariana (Numidia)|Titular Archbishop of Cæsariana]]|years=3 October 1988 – 24 November 2007}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Yosafat Hovera|Josaphat Oleh Hovera]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lorenzo Antonetti]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See|Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See]]|years=3 October 1988 – 7 December 1995}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Claudio Maria Celli]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Jozef Zlatňanský]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe|Secretary of the Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe]]|years=8 June 2004 – 15 September 2006}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dominique François Joseph Mamberti]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Edmund Szoka]]}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Edmund Szoka]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State]]|years=15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State]]|years=15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011}}
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{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Giuseppe Bertello]]}}
{{s-break}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]]|years=15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]]|years=15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Antonio María Javierre Ortas]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Cardinal-Deacon of [[Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio]]|years=24 November 2007 – 19 May 2018}}
{{s-non|reason=Himself as Cardinal-Priest}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-non|reason=Himself as Cardinal-Deacon}}
{{s-ttl|title=Cardinal-Priest 'pro hac vice' of Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio|years=19 May 2018 –}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


{{Cardinals of the Catholic Church|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lajolo, Giovanni}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lajolo, Giovanni}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State]]
[[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops]]
[[Category:21st-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops]]
[[Category:Apostolic Nuncios to Germany]]
[[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Germany]]
[[Category:Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Pontifical Gregorian University alumni]]
[[Category:Pontifical Gregorian University alumni]]
[[Category:Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni]]
[[Category:Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni]]
[[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI]]
[[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI]]
[[Category:Italian cardinals]]
[[Category:21st-century Italian cardinals]]
[[Category:Italian titular archbishops]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Officials of the Roman Curia]]
[[Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni]]
[[Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Apostolic Signatura]]
[[Category:Members of the Apostolic Signatura]]

Latest revision as of 22:18, 1 September 2024

His Eminence

Giovanni Lajolo
President Emeritus of the Governatorate of Vatican City State
Lajolo, 18 July 2009
Appointed15 September 2006
Term ended1 October 2011
PredecessorEdmund Casimir Szoka
SuccessorGiuseppe Bertello
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio "pro hac vice"
Previous post(s)
  • Titular Archbishop of Caesariana (1988–2007)
  • Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (1988–1995)
  • Apostolic Nuncio to Germany (1995–2003)
  • Secretary (Relations with States) of the Secretariat of State (2003–2006)
  • President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (2006–2011)
Orders
Ordination29 April 1960
by Ugo Poletti
Consecration6 January 1989
by Pope John Paul II
Created cardinal24 November 2007
by Pope Benedict XVI
RankCardinal-Deacon (2007–18)
Cardinal-Priest (from 2018)
Personal details
Born
Giovanni Lajolo

(1935-01-03) 3 January 1935 (age 89)
Novara, Italy
NationalityItalian
DenominationRoman Catholic
Alma mater
Coat of armsGiovanni Lajolo's coat of arms
Styles of
Giovanni Lajolo
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeCaesariana

Giovanni Lajolo (born 3 January 1935) is an Italian cardinal and former president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governatorate of Vatican City State.

Early life and ordination

[edit]

Giovanni Lajolo was born on 3 January 1935 in Novara, Italy. He studied at the Seminary of Novara, the Pontifical Roman Seminary, and the Pontifical Gregorian University where he earned a licentiate in philosophy in 1955 and a licentiate in theology in 1959. He was ordained a priest on 29 April 1960.[1] He entered the University of Munich where he studied for a doctorate in canon law which he was awarded in 1965. Then in 1965 he entered the elite Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy to study diplomacy, leaving in 1968.

Secretariat of State

[edit]

He entered the service of the Secretariat of State in 1970. He worked in the nunciature in Germany collaborating with Corrado Bafile, future cardinal, from 1970 to November 1974. He was a staff member of the Council for Public Affairs of the Church from November 1974. He was named counselor of nunciature on 1 January 1983. He closely followed the negotiations that led to the signing, in 1984, of the revision of the concordat between Italy and Holy See.

Bishop

[edit]

On 3 October 1988, Lajolo was appointed Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and Titular Archbishop of Caesariana[2] by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 1989 from John Paul, with archbishops Edward Idris Cassidy and José Tomás Sánchez serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter's Basilica. Lajolo was named Nuncio to Germany on 7 December 1995, and Secretary for Relations with States on 7 October 2003. As Secretary, he served as the foreign minister of the Vatican.

Secretary for Relations with States

[edit]

He served as the Secretary for Relations with States in the Secretariat of State, or foreign minister of the Holy See, from 2003 until his appointment as president in 2006.[1] He speaks Italian, German, English and French.

At a 2004 conference Lajolo said that perfect religious freedom does not exist in any country in the world: "Even in states in which the right to religious freedom is taken very seriously, perfection is missing, often because a concern for church-state separation leads to penalising religious activity in the public sphere." He went on to say that "government and taxation policies may limit the rights of parents to choose a religious education for their children or may penalise the charitable work of the church by not recognising its nonprofit status. Attempts to ban religiously motivated positions from public policy debates are also infringements on religious freedom." Lajolo and other speakers at the conference also voiced concern about the increasing threats to Christians in Iraq and in other countries with a Muslim majority following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.[3]

In 2005 Lajolo was awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.[4]

Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State

[edit]

On 22 June 2006, Lajolo was appointed President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City State by Pope Benedict XVI. In virtue of these two posts, he is delegated legislative and executive authority over the Vatican City by the pope. He was made Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio in the consistory of 24 November 2007.[5]

He submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict when he turned 75 in January 2010. His resignation was accepted on 3 September 2011, with Archbishop Giuseppe Bertello appointed as his successor as of 1 October 2011.

He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.

Curial work

[edit]

He was made a member of the Congregation for Bishops, Pontifical Council for Culture, and Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (of which he had once been Secretary) on 12 June 2008.[6] On 25 January 2010 he was appointed a member of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church's highest court.[7] He remained as a member of these bodies until his 80th birthday in 2015.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Biographical notes". Holy See. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  2. ^ Caesariana (Titular See)- Catholic Hierarchy
  3. ^ "Just a moment". Archived from the original on 3 December 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2004.
  4. ^ quirinale.it
  5. ^ Uffici di Presidenza S.C.V. "President of the Governorate of Vatican City State". Governorate of Vatican City State. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  6. ^ "Nomina Di Cardinali Membri Dei Dicasteri Della Curia Romana". Rinunce e Nomine (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2009.[dead link‍]
  7. ^ [1][dead link‍]
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Germany
7 December 1995 – 7 October 2003 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary for Relations with States
7 October 2003 – 15 September 2006 		Succeeded by
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by — TITULAR —
Titular Archbishop of Cæsariana
3 October 1988 – 24 November 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
3 October 1988 – 7 December 1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of the Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe
8 June 2004 – 15 September 2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State
15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011 		Succeeded by
President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011
Preceded by Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio
24 November 2007 – 19 May 2018 		Himself as Cardinal-Priest
Himself as Cardinal-Deacon Cardinal-Priest 'pro hac vice' of Santa Maria Liberatrice a Monte Testaccio
19 May 2018 – 		Incumbent
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