Beniamino Stella

Beniamino Stella (born 18 August 1941) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 2013 to 2021; he has been a cardinal since 2014. He began working in the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1970, was made an archbishop in 1987, and served as a nuncio in several countries between 1987 to 2007. He led the Vatican's training program for its diplomats, the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, from 2007 to 2013.

His Eminence Beniamino Stella
Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Installed	21 September 2013
Term ended	2 August 2021
Predecessor	Mauro Piacenza
Successor	Lazarus You Heung-sik
Other post(s)	Cardinal Bishop of Porto–Santa Rufina (2020–present)
Orders
Ordination	19 March 1966 by Constantino Stella
Consecration	5 September 1987 by Pope John Paul II
Created cardinal	22 February 2014 by Pope Francis
Rank	Cardinal deacon (2014–2020) Cardinal bishop (2020–present)
Personal details
Born	Beniamino Stella (1941-08-18) 18 August 1941 (age 81) Pieve di Soligo, Treviso, Kingdom of Italy
Nationality	Italian
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Previous post(s)	Titular Archbishop of Midila (1987–2014) Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Republic of the Congo (1987–1992) Apostolic Delegate to Chad (1987–1992) Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba (1992–1999) Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia (1999–2007) President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (2007–2013) Cardinal Deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano (2014–2020)
Alma mater	Pontifical Roman Seminary Pontifical Lateran University Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy

Ordination history of Beniamino Stella
History Priestly ordination Ordained by Costantino Stella Date 19 March 1966 Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Pope John Paul II Co-consecrators Eduardo Martinez Somalo Jean Pierre Marie Orchampt Date 5 September 1987 Cardinalate Elevated by Pope Francis Date 22 February 2014
Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by Beniamino Stella as principal consecrator Bernard Nsayi 16 September 1990 José Alberto Rozo Gutierrez, S.M.M 19 March 2000 Alvaro Efrén Rincón Rojas, C.SS.R 24 March 2000 José Vicente Huertas Vargas 4 August 2000 Héctor Javier Pizarro Acevedo, O.A.R 27 January 2001 Eulises González Sánchez 10 March 2001 Camilo Fernando Castrellón Pizano, S.D.B 6 June 2001 Misael Vacca Ramirez 10 August 2001 Fidel León Cadavid Marin 22 September 2001 Carlos Germán Masa Ruiz 26 April 2003 Ricardo Antonio Tobón Restrepo 24 June 2003 Luis Albeiro Cortés Rendón 27 June 2003 Luis Alberto Parra Mora 11 December 2003 Edgar Hernando Tirado Mazo, M.X.Y. 31 March 2004 Luis Felipe Sanchez Aponte 22 April 2004 Juan Vicente Cordoba Villota, S.J 28 August 2004 Jaime Enrique Duque Correa, M.X.Y 25 February 2006 Guillermo Orozco Montoya 10 March 2006 José Alejandro Castaño Arbeláez, O.A.R 27 January 2007

Styles of Beniamino Stella
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal

Early years

Beniamino Stella was born in Pieve di Soligo, Province of Treviso, Italy. After finishing secondary education, he entered the Pontifical Roman Seminary and studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Lateran University.^[1]

He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Vittorio Veneto on 19 March 1966 by his uncle, Archbishop Costantino Stella of L'Aquila. That same year, to prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.^[2] While there he also earned a degree in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University.

Diplomatic service

He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1970 and held posts in the nunciatures in the Dominican Republic from 1970 to 1973 and in Zaire as secretary from 1973 to 1976.^[1] He was made a chaplain of His Holiness on 5 September 1974.^[3] From 1976 to 1978, he served in the Second Section of the Secretariat of State; then in Malta as auditor.^[1] In 1978, after Malta's prime minister Dom Mintoff declared the nuncio, Antonio del Giudice persona non grata,^[4] Stella headed the nunciature as chargé d'affaires. In 1983, he was assigned to the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church.^[1] He was assigned the rank of nunciature counselor on 1 February 1983.

On 21 August 1987, Pope John Paul II appointed Stella titular archbishop of Midila as well as Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Republic of the Congo and Apostolic Delegate to Chad.^[5][a] Stella received his episcopal consecration from the Pope on 5 September.^[1] On 15 December 1992, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba.^[7] On 11 February 1999, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia.^[8]

On 13 October 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.^[9]

Congregation for the Clergy

Pope Francis nominated him Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy on 21 September 2013.^[10][11] On 16 December 2013 he was appointed as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.^[12]

In an interview on 27 February 2019, Stella revealed that, for approximately ten years, the Congregation of the Clergy had been responsible for matters concerning priests who violate their vows of celibacy. Regarding violation of the celibacy policy, Stella stated "In such cases there are, unfortunately, Bishops and Superiors who think that, after having provided economically for the children, or after having transferred the priest, the cleric could continue to exercise the ministry."^[13]

Pope Francis accepted Stella's resignation as prefect of the congregation on 11 June 2021 and appointed Lazarus You Heung-sik as his successor, with the proviso that Stella would stay on until You was able to move to Rome and take office.^[14] You took up his new post on 2 August.^[15]

Cardinal

In the consistory of 22 February 2014, he was created Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano.^[16][17]

On 10 March 2015, Pope Francis appointed Stella a member of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.^[18]

He was named a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State on 11 June 2016,^[19] of the Secretariat for Communications on 13 July 2016,^[20] of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 28 October 2016,^[21] of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 22 November 2016,^[22] and of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples on 4 October 2017.^[23]

On 1 May 2020, Stella was raised to the order of cardinal bishop and assigned the suburbicarian see title of Porto-Santa Rufina.^[24]

He has served as the postulator for the canonization cause of Pope John Paul I since 2016.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Cardinals created by Francis

Notes

1. On 10 January 1989, his title changed from Apostolic Delegate to Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Chad.^[6]

Sources

1. "Tocca a Beniamino "Corazón"". La Stampa (in Italian). 23 September 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
2. "Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999" (in Italian). Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
3. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LVI. 1974. p. 671. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
4. Pesce, Giuseppe (13 April 2013). "L' arcivescovo Del Giudice un agente 007 del Vaticano". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 15 April 2020.
5. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXIX. 1987. pp. 1239, 1250. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
6. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXI. 1989. pp. 389, 801. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
7. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXV. 1993. p. 104. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
8. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXXI. 1999. p. 327. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
9. "Rinunce e Nomine, 13.10.2007" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
10. "Rinunce e Nomine, 21.09.2013" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 21 September 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
11. Tosatti, Marco (20 September 2013). "Vaticano, nuove nomine: Stella al Clero e Baldisseri al Sinodo". Vatican Insider (in Italian). Retrieved 9 January 2015.
12. "Rinunce e Nomine, 16.12.2013" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
13. Stella, Beniamino (27 February 2019). "For children of priests, the good of the child comes first". Vatican News (Interview). Interviewed by Andrea Tornielli.
14. "Korean Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik is the new Prefect of the Clergy". vaticannews.va. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
15. "S.E. Lazzaro You Heung-sik". Congregation for the Clergy (in Italian). Retrieved 4 August 2021.
16. "Annuncio di Concistoro per la Creazione di Nuovi Cardinali" (in Italian). The Vatican Today. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
17. "Assegnazione dei Titoli e delle Diaconie ai nuovi Cardinali" [Assignment of Titles and Deaconries to the new Cardinals]. The Holy See (in Italian). Ufficio delle Celebrazioni Liturgiche del Sommo Pontefice. 22 February 2014. from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
18. . Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
19. "Rinunce e Nomine, 11.06.2016" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
20. "Rinunce e Nomine, 13.07.2016" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
21. "Rinunce e Nomine, 28.10.2016" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
22. "Rinunce e Nomine, 22.11.2016" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
23. "Rinunce e Nomine, 04.10.2017" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
24. "Resignations and Appointments, 01.05.2020". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.

External links

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Beniamino Stella.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beniamino Stella.

• "Stella Card. Beniamino". Holy See Press Office. from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
• "Beniamino Stella". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 September 2013.^{[self-published source]}

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by John Bulaitis	Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the Republic of the Congo 7 November 1987 – 15 December 1992	Succeeded by Diego Causero
Preceded by Faustino Sainz Muñoz	Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba 15 December 1992 – 11 February 1999	Succeeded by Luis Robles Díaz
Preceded by Paolo Romeo	Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia 11 February 1999 – 13 October 2007	Succeeded by Aldo Cavalli
Educational offices
Preceded by Justo Mullor García	President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy 13 October 2007 – 21 September 2013	Succeeded by Giampiero Gloder
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Mauro Piacenza	Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy 21 September 2013 – 1 August 2021	Succeeded by Lazarus You Heung-sik
Preceded by Giovanni Cheli	Cardinal Deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano 22 February 2014 – 1 May 2020	Succeeded by Mario Grech
Preceded by Roger Etchegaray	Cardinal Bishop of Porto-Santa Rufina 1 May 2020 – present	Incumbent