Pio Laghi

Pio Laghi (born May 21, 1922) is an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal who has served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and in the Roman Curia.

Biography

Laghi was born in Castiglione di Forlì, Romagna, Italy.

In 1980, Pope John Paul II advanced him to Apostolic Delegate and later in 1984 Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States, where he was entrusted with emplacing conservatives in key positions, such as Cardinals Bernard Francis Law in Boston and John Joseph O'Connor in New York. In 1990 John Paul named Laghi to head the Congregation for Catholic Education, and in the consistory of 1991 made him a cardinal, though Argentine writers had begun exposing his links to the past dictatorship and the "Dirty War".

On December 26, 1994, Time Magazine (U.S.) published an article titled "Who Will Be First Among Us?" which prematurely speculated on who would be the next Pope "As John Paul approaches the twilight of his papacy." Laghi was listed among eight Cardinals who were considered leading candidates. The article identified Laghi as head of the Congregation for Catholic Education with conservative credentials. In 1997 the Dirty War scandal was widely exposed, and, though Laghi denied the charges, it was considered to have ended his chance to become Pope.

Styles of Pio Cardinal Laghi
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Mauriana

He headed the Congregation for Catholic Education until 1999, and from 1999 to 2001 he was the Cardinal Protodeacon (the longest serving Cardinal Deacon), before exercising his right as a Cardinal Deacon of ten years' standing to become a Cardinal Priest of the Title of San Pietro in Vincoli. In 2002 he became too old to vote in a papal election but continued to undertake special missions for his friend Pope John Paul.

On March 1 2003, Laghi, as special papal envoy to the United States, met with President Bush and conveyed the Pope's request that the United States reconsider the decision to go to war against Iraq. Bush was photographed with Laghi and commented that he was "an old family friend". During the presidency of Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, Laghi had been Papal Nuncio to the United States and a frequent guest of the first President Bush and his family.

External links

• Biography at The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church site
• Catholic-Hierarchy.Org

Reference

• Burkle-Young, Francis A. Passing the keys : modern cardinals, conclaves, and the election of the next pope. pp. 315–317, 325–326. ISBN 1-56833-130-4.