Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Italian Catholic prelate (born 1965) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM (Italian pronunciation: [ˌpjɛrbatˈtista pittsaˈballa]; born 21 April 1965) is an Italian Catholic prelate who has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 6 November 2020.[1] A Franciscan friar, he served as Custos of the Holy Land from 2004 to 2016 and as Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate from 2016 to 2020. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023. He is considered a possible front-runner for the papacy at the 2025 papal conclave following the death of Pope Francis.[2][3]
Pierbattista Pizzaballa | |
|---|---|
Pizzaballa in 2016 | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Jerusalem |
| See | Jerusalem |
| Appointed | 24 October 2020 |
| Installed | 6 November 2020 |
| Predecessor | Fouad Twal |
| Other post(s) | |
| Previous post(s) |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 15 September 1990 by Giacomo Biffi |
| Consecration | 10 September 2016 by Leonardo Sandri |
| Created cardinal | 30 September 2023 by Pope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 April 1965 |
| Motto | Sufficit tibi gratia mea ('My grace is sufficient for you') |
| Signature |  |
| Coat of arms | .svg) |
Biography
Pierbattista Pizzaballa was born in Cologno al Serio, Bergamo, son of Pietro Pizzaballa and Maria Maddalena Tadini.[4] Growing up in the small hamlet of Castel Liteggio, Pizzaballa enjoyed a simple and rural lifestyle. Motivated by a desire to be like his local priest, Don Pèrsec, he entered the Franciscan Le Grazie minor seminary in Bologna in September 1976 and on 5 September 1984 entered their novitiate in La Verna.[5] He made his first vows there on 7 September 1985 and his perpetual vows in Bologna on 4 October 1989. He earned his bachelor's degree in theology at the Pontifical University Antonianum and was ordained a priest on 15 September 1990, in the Cathedral of Bologna by Cardinal Giacomo Biffi.[6]
He obtained his diploma in classical studies at the Archiepiscopal Seminary of Ferrara.[7] He studied in Biblical Theology at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem in 1993 and then taught biblical Hebrew at the Franciscan Faculty of Biblical Science and Archeology in Jerusalem.[6]
Besides his native Italian, Pizzaballa speaks Hebrew, English, and Arabic.[7][8][9]
Presbyterate
Summarize
Perspective
After completing his postgraduate studies, Pizzaballa taught Biblical Hebrew at the Franciscan Faculty of Biblical and archaeological sciences in Jerusalem, was responsible for the publication of the Roman Missal in Hebrew in 1995, and translated liturgical texts in Hebrew.[7]
He joined the Franciscans working at the Custody of the Holy Land in July 1999 and was responsible for the pastoral care of Hebrew-speaking Catholics. On 9 May 2001, he was appointed Superior of the Convent of Saints Simeon and Anna in Jerusalem.[6] From 2005 to 2008 he served as Patriarchal Vicar.[6]
He was Custos of the Holy Land (head of the Franciscan priory known as the Custody of the Holy Land) from May 2004 to April 2016, having been elected to a six-year term in May 2004, re-elected to a three-year term in March 2010, and reconfirmed for another three-year term in 2013.[6]
In 2008 he was appointed a Consultor in the commission for relations with Judaism of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.[10]
In June 2014 Pope Francis entrusted Pizzaballa with organizing the peace prayer in the Vatican gardens, which brought together Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.[8]
Pizzaballa criticized Israel's construction of a barrier between the West Bank and Jerusalem and participated in protests against it in 2015. He also, before becoming a bishop, criticized Palestinian leaders for blaming all problems on the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.[8]
Episcopate
On 24 June 2016, Pope Francis nominated Pizzaballa as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and appointed him titular archbishop of Verbe.[6] On 10 September 2016 he was consecrated by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Archbishop Fouad Twal, and Bishop Francesco Beschi in the Bergamo Cathedral.[11] The appointment of an Italian broke with tradition, as such posts are normally assigned to members of the ethnic group they predominantly serve, such as his immediate predecessors (a Palestinian and Jordanian respectively).[8]
In 2016, Pizzaballa joined the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and became its Pro Grand Prior, and then Grand Prior upon appointment as Latin Patriarch.[12][13] On 31 May 2017 he was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.[14]
On 24 October 2020, Pizzaballa was appointed Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem by Pope Francis.[15] He leads the Board of Directors of Caritas Jerusalem.[16]
Cardinal
On 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced he planned to create him a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 30 September 2023.[17] At that consistory, he was made cardinal priest of Sant'Onofrio, the official church of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.[18]
On 16 October 2023, Pizzaballa condemned Hamas' actions as barbaric and offered himself as a hostage in exchange for captive Israeli children held in Gaza during the Gaza war.[19][20]
He has advocated for an end to the Gaza war and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.[21] Pizzaballa was a signatory to the "Statement on the Escalating Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza" which condemned attacks on civilians, called for de-escalation and called for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. His statement was criticized by Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen.[22]
On his visit to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve 2023, Pizzaballa donned a Palestinian keffiyeh and expressed a desire for peace in the region.[23] He cosigned the Christmas message released by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem advocating Christians to refrain from public celebration of the holiday in solidarity with those affected by the war.[24]
Positions
Cardinal Pizzaballa is opposed to the blessing of same-sex couples and the readmission of divorcees to the sacraments. However, he has stated that he desires a pontificate in continuity with that of Pope Francis, openness to immigrants and a greater role for women in the Church.[25]
Pizzaballa is also supportive of interfaith dialogue, noting that efforts such as Francis' 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti have an "enormous impact" on Arab public consciousness even if they are not widely read.[26] He believes that the Gaza War is "a watershed in interreligious dialogue, which can never be the same as before, at least between Christians, Muslims, and Jews."[27] Pizzaballa has also made a concerted effort to show solidarity with the Orthodox community in Israel, especially in the context of the ongoing war.
During his tenure as head of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, the organization put out a statement denouncing the "mockery of the mystery of the mysteries in Christianity" during the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.[28]
Honors and recognition
Holy See: Grand Prior and Knight of the Collar of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre[29]
Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Conventual Chaplain Grand Cross ad honorem[30]
Italy: Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy[31]- Supreme Taxiarch of the Greek Orthodox Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre[32]
See also
References
External links
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