Giovanni Cheli
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Cheli is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and was, along with Achille Silvestrini
Achille Silvestrini
Achille Silvestrini was one of the most prominent Vatican diplomats during the long reign of John Paul II...
and Pio Laghi, one of the most prominent Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
s under Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.
Early life and ordination
Cheli was educated at the seminary of Asti and soon developed his skills in canon lawCanon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
. At the Pontifical Lateran University
Pontifical Lateran University
The Pontifical Lateran University is a university by pontifical right based in Rome, Italy. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family...
in Rome he obtained his doctorate in that subject in 1942 and was ordained on 21 April of that year. Cheli returned to the parish of Asti and became diocesan vice-counselor of the Young Men of Catholic Action
Catholic Action
Catholic Action was the name of many groups of lay Catholics who were attempting to encourage a Catholic influence on society.They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries that fell under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Italy, Bavaria, France, and...
, and after pastoral work in Rome, he entered the Vatican diplomatic service in 1952. At first, Cheli had the minor role of attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
of the nunciature in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, but rose to more important roles in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Italy itself. During this period Cheli continued to do pastoral work in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and later he worked for the Pontifical Council for Public Affairs from 1967 to 1973.
Church diplomat
Cheli's place as a major Vatican diplomat, however, was secured only when he became a permanent representative of the Holy See to the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1973 and again in 1976. By this time Cheli was known for his knowledge of the problems the Vatican encountered relating to the Communist nations of Eastern Europe, and it was natural that he would soon become a bishop - which he did in 1978, unusually being consecrated during the short reign of Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I
John Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
. His combination of knowledge of the Curia and pastoral-mindedness fitted Cheli perfectly for the role of President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, which he held continuously for two decades following the start of John Paul II's reign as Pope.
Cardinal
John Paul II created Cheli Cardinal-Deacon of Ss. Cosma e Damiano in the consistoryConsistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of February 24, 1998. This was seen as a reward for his service as a Vatican diplomat, but his elevation was almost an anticlimax because within a year he had passed the age limit for voting in a conclave.
He has been decorated among others with the Order of Isabel the Catholic
Order of Isabel the Catholic
The Order of Isabella the Catholic is a Spanish civil order granted in recognition of services that benefit the country. The Order is not exclusive to Spaniards, and many foreigners have been awarded it....
, and named commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic was founded as the senior order of knighthood by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi in 1951...
; and of the Verdienstkreuz of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Invasion of Iraq
In other respects, too, Cheli has become strangely outspoken for a cardinal appointed by John Paul II. He has been the most vehement critic in the Church of the US invasion of IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
since 2001.
Age limit for Cardinals
Since turning eighty, Cardinals Cheli and Silvestrini have become regarded as the bluntest critics of the rule on over-age cardinals, with Cheli on Silvestrini's eightieth birthday (five years after himself turning eighty) saying to The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
in December 2003: "It is a great deprivation for cardinals. Perhaps different limits can be used in future. Perhaps those whose minds have gone should not vote. We all know who they are. And some of them are in their seventies."
Curial appointments
More recently, he has voiced his criticism of some of Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
's appointments within the Roman Curia: Cheli believes Benedict is failing to take diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
ic experience adequately into account when choosing prelates for the Secretariat of State. On 1 March 2008 he was elevated to Cardinal Priest. His titular deaconry was elevated pro hac vice
Pro hac vice
Pro hac vice , Latin: "for this occasion" or "for this event", is a legal term usually referring to a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction but has been allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction.The right to appear pro hac vice is not...
to title after 10 years as a cardinal deacon.