Cardial Filoni in a private meeting with his holiness Pope Francis
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Fernado Filoni (born 15 April 1946) is a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Roman Curia since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on May 10, 2011.Cardinal Filoni is an expert in Chinese affairs and on the Middle East.
He was born near Taranto, Italy. He entered the seminary and earned doctorates in Philosophy and in canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University. He was ordained a priest on July 3, 1970. He served in the Nunciatures of Sri Lanka from 1982 until 1983, Iran from 1983 to 1985, Brazil from 1989 to 1992 and the Philippines from 1992 until 2001
Although formally assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines, he was based in Hong Kong. During this time Archbishop Filoni was Pope John Paul II’s bridge to China’s bishops, official and non-official Churches and bishops,in the hope of reconciling them to the Holy see
Pope John Paul II appointed Father Filoni apostlic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan on January 17, 2001, naming him titular Archbishop of volturnum. He received episcopal consecation from Pope John Paul II on March 19, 2001.
Archbishop Filoni defended the Freedom of the Catholic Church in Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussssein and -in line with the Pope’s position – opposed the US invasion of the country. He remained in Baghdad as American bombs fell, refusing to leave the capital, to which he reportedly said it was nothing execeptional. After the fall of saddam,he did not fail to notice some new aspects of people’s new found freedom. Yet he also warned against the lack security and the slow development of the economy, while supporting the new constitution and support the peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims.
He is reported to have come close to being killed in Baghdad on February 1,2006, when a car bomb exploded next to the nunciature.
He served in Iraq and Jordan until February 25, 2006 when he returned to the Philippines as the Nuncio. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Filoni Substitute for General Affairs on June, 9 2007, formally taking office on July 1 that same year.
It was Filoni’s joy to organise the activities of the Curia and the care of official translations of papal documents and correspondence; encryption dispatches messagers to be sent to the Registry of the papal letters, the resolutrion of legal issues, personnel management in the Curia and nunciatures (promotions and advances), the protocol and etiquette for visiting heads of state, information and media management Vatican archive management to shipping the blessings of the Pope. He is also responsible for organizing the activties of nuncios around the world in their activities concerning the local churches . As well as speaking his native Italian, he also speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Commenting on his apportment, He said: “It is an act of paternal benevolence on the part of the pontiff, to which I respond without the slightest trepidation, but with the same willingness and profound gratitude I have had in the past. The wonderful words of Our Lord aid me at this time, those found in Luke (17,10), on the attitude of those called into the christ’s service: ‘When you have done all you have been commanded, say,’We are unprofitable servants; We have done what we were obliged to do’.”
