Ernest Simoni
Ernest Simoni Troshani (born 18 October 1928) is an Albanian cardinal of the Catholic Church.
Ernest Simoni | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria della Scala | |
| Church | Catholic Church (Latin Church) |
| Appointed | 19 November 2016 |
| Installed | 11 February 2017 |
| Predecessor | Stanisław Nagy |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 7 April 1956 |
| Created cardinal | 19 November 2016 by Pope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ernest Simoni 18 October 1928 |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Motto | Albanian: Zemra jeme dotë triumfojë (My Immaculate Heart will Triumph) |
| Coat of arms | |
| Styles of Ernest Simoni | |
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
He was created a cardinal in a consistory held on 19 November 2016 by Pope Francis.[1]
Life edit
Ernest Simoni was born in 1928 in Troshani in the Albanian Kingdom.[2]
On 24 December 1963, he was imprisoned by the Communist authorities after offering a Mass for the repose of assassinated President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Ernest Simoni was tortured and even offered marriage to leave his faith.[3] He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was converted into a prison term and he spent 28 years at penal labour, first in a mine and then in a sewage canal.[4]
On 21 September 2014, he met Pope Francis during his apostolic visit to Albania and provided the pope with his own testimony on his experiences under the Communist regime.[5]
On 9 October 2016,[6] Pope Francis announced that he would create Simoni a cardinal in the consistory held on 19 November of the same year.[7] Canon 351 of the Code of Canon Law requires that all cardinals must be bishops, but Simoni was given a papal dispensation from the requirement of episcopal consecration.[8]
At the consistory, he was assigned the titular church of Santa Maria della Scala. As of 2019, he had not yet received episcopal consecration.[9]
Honors edit
In 2017, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented at an awards ceremony in London.[10][11]
References edit
- ^ "Il Papa annuncia un concistoro per il 19 novembre" (in Italian). La Stampa. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ "SIMONI Card. Ernest". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ Koleka, Benet (2016). "Lifetime of privation made Albanian priest a Catholic cardinal". Reuters. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Glatz, Carol (11 October 2016). "This priest's story of persecution brought Pope Francis to tears. Now he's making him a cardinal". America. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ . paoline.it. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ "Mgr Ernest Simoni, simple curé nommé cardinal albanais". lalibre.be. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ "Da sacerdote a cardinale: ecco chi è Ernest Simoni, uno dei 17 nuovi porporati voluti dal Papa" (in Italian). ilsole24ore.com. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ Cardinale, Gianni (27 November 2020). "Ecco i nuovi cardinali: nomi, storie, numeri e novità" (in Italian). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Don Ernest Simoni all'ospedale San Giovanni". Diocese of Rome. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "2017 Summit Highlights Photo".
Two members of the Class of 2017: fashion designer Valentino Garavani, the "Living Martyr" of Albania, Cardinal Ernest Simoni, with the Academy's 52nd annual International Achievement Summit Host, Catherine B. Reynolds.
- Additional sources
- "Albania's new cardinal: a priest who spent 28 years in labour camps". Catholic Herald. Associated Press. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
External links edit
- Quotations related to Ernest Simoni at Wikiquote
- Media related to Ernest Simoni at Wikimedia Commons
- "Simoni Card. Ernest". Holy See Press Office. from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- Glatz, Carol (11 October 2016). "This priest's story of persecution brought Pope Francis to tears. Now he's making him a cardinal". America. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- Speech delivered in September 2014 during the visit of Pope Francis to Albania, Rome Reports, 17 November 2016