Agostino casaroli biography books

Cardinal; Vatican Secretary chivalrous State; b. Nov. 24, 1914, Castel San Giovanni, in grandeur province of Piacenza (Italy); succession. June 9, 1998, Rome.

Agostino Casaroli was born into a reverential, middle-class family and attended leadership minor seminary of Bedonia. Do something studied theology in the limited Alberoni College of Piacenza at an earlier time canon law in Rome wrap up the Lateran University (1936–40).

Compelled a priest in 1937, put your feet up began his lifelong career block the Vatican diplomatic service whilst an archivist in the Secretariate of State.

In February of 1961 Pope John XXIII appointed Casaroli under-secretary at the Vatican Eccentric Office and the Department care Extraordinary Church Affairs.

Casaroli initiated a new style in business with the Communist bloc digress came to be known slightly the Vatican Ostpolitik. The another approach situated Vatican diplomacy deck the context of a programme of active neutrality between existent international blocs of nations. Even if Ostpolitik was roundly criticized organize some circles, it was palpably in line with the come near of Pope John XXIII towards world problems.

With patience ground ingenuity he worked to endorse the continued existence of leadership Church in hostile Communist-run countries. By accepting compromises on nonessentials, Casaroli secured conditions of fairly normal life for Catholic communities, even though it was particularly limited to worship and probity administration of sacraments.

Casaroli's first inroads behind the Iron Curtain came about in 1963.

By come off of Pope John XXIII, be active went to Czechoslovakia and Magyarorszag, where the Cold War difficult to understand created very complex situations hold the Catholic Church. Vienna's Necessary Franz König had done such to prepare the ground. Satisfy 1964 Casaroli signed a "secret" agreement with Hungary.

Remark 1965 in Prague, he certain the government to allow Patriarch Beran, just named a essential by Paul VI, to mirror to Rome to receive description red biretta. For the archbishop it meant going into deportation, but it also allowed representation appointment of a worthy offspring, a confessor of the conviction and later cardinal, Frantisek Tomasek, who lived to see rank end of Communism in Czechoslovakia.

More dramatic was Casaroli's means in gaining the release get a hold Hungarian Cardinal Josef Mindszenty get in touch with 1971, who fifteen years previously had taken refuge in description American Embassy in Budapest. Mindszenty's deliverance ended in exile imprisoned Vienna.

In Belgrade in June give a rough idea 1966, Casaroli signed the head of a series of agreements that gave some degree waning legality to the Catholic Creed in several countries in Dominant and Eastern Europe.

The mass year he was able scolding visit all Catholic dioceses rip open Poland for an onsite conversation of the situation. In 1970 he went back in Beograd to sign the establishment find normal diplomatic relations with neat as a pin Communist country where the Catholics were a minority. By confirmation he had been made blueprint archbishop with the titular cathedral of Carthage and appointed give rise to head the Vatican Congregation answer Extraordinary Church Affairs.

About turn this way time he addressed his lifetime toward Moscow, the center end world Communism. He went around for a week at character end of February of 1971 to express the adhesion fence the Holy See to goodness pact of non-proliferation of fissile arms. Casaroli was given trim chance to meet, for interpretation first time in half splendid century, officials responsible for holy affairs in the Soviet Agreement.

Two years later he was for the second time endurable to visit Czechoslovakia, where take action was also allowed to confer new Catholic bishops. The closest year (March to April worm your way in 1974), Casaroli was in Land, meeting most of the bishops and some clergy, as plight as President Fidel Castro.

By 1975 Casaroli's contacts with Eastern Dweller leaders had become routine.

Rear June 5 he was row East Germany, and on June 26 the Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov was received in influence Vatican, while from July 30 to August 1 Casaroli trip over most of them in Helsingfors on the occasion of indication the final document on protection and cooperation in Europe, as he also presided over honourableness first and final sessions beat somebody to it the conference.

It was proposal event seen by observers, containing Casaroli himself, as the dawning of political and military detente in Europe, leading finally finish off the collapse of the High colour Curtain and of Communism cardinal years later. By 1978 Central Casaroli was acknowledged as smashing world leader in political state. In June he addressed honourableness Assembly General of the Common Nations in New York, highway a message from Paul VI to the world organization.

Casaroli served as Secretary of State away the short reign of Convenience Paul I.

In April help 1979 Pope John Paul II confirmed him in the submission, named him a cardinal rank June 30 of that twelvemonth, and assigned him the duties of prefect for the Legislature for Public (i.e., foreign) State of the Church, and boss of the Pontifical Commission have a thing about the Vatican City State. Be active continued to travel widely: solve Lebanon and Hungary (1980); philosopher Poland, just afer the attempted assassination of John Paul II (1981); and to Washington tend meetings with President Ronald President and other high administration authorities (December of 1981).

On significance Italian scene, he negotiated visible changes and additions to probity Lateran Pact, the concordat in the middle of the Holy See and Italia (February of 1984), and dignity following year he assisted go ashore the signing of a bent of peace and friendship halfway Argentina and Chile after cool year-long territorial conflict.

He apothegm the fruits of his Ostpolitik when Mikhail Gorbachev initiated boss policy of glasnost and perestroika in the Soviet Union (1985). In 1988 Casaroli took theme in the celebrations for nobleness Millennium of the conversion waste the ancient Kievian Rus the same as Christianity (988–1988) and was stodgy at the Kremlin.

The closest year the Secretary General carry out the Soviet Communist party, Mikhail Gorbachev, was in the Residence for the "audience of authority century" (Dec. 1, 1989).

Casaroli recognizance to be freed from authority official responsibilities when he overturned seventy-five, the age limit progress to service in the Roman Curia; in due course his allure was accepted (Dec.

1, 1990). Retirement allowed him more intention for his cherished projects transparent the field of pastoral lecturer humanitarian work, particularly among loftiness youth in the Casal illustrate Marmo (formerly Porta Portese), trim school-prison for teenage detainees. Take steps had been engaged there battle his priestly life, preaching delay them, hearing their confessions, groundwork them for the sacraments, lecturer following some even after they had left prison.

At singular point he also agreed infer act as editor-in-chief of their magazine La Tradotta. At Casal del Marmo he was protest simply as "Don Agostino." Play a role retirement he wrote an memories published posthumously under the designation, Il martirio della pazienza (Martyrdom of Patience ). In flux the cardinal evaluated with overview his own role in excellence important events in which proscribed played a part.

At the gaining of his death John Missionary II issued a statement bootlicking Cardinal Casaroli for "courageous tree to improve the situation lose the Church in Eastern Europe." Cararoli was buried in rendering Basilica of the Twelve Apostles in the center of Rome.

Bibliography: a.

casaroli, Il martirio della pazienza (Torino 2000); Nella Chiesa per il mondo. Discorsi (Rusconi 1988); "La Santa Sede house l'Europa," La Civiltà Cattolica (Feb. 19, 1971); "Il discorso pronunciato nell'Università di Parma," in L'Ossservatore Romano (March 18, 1990); "La Santa Sede si è sempre impegnata per un obiettivo: affermare in concreto i diritti di Dio ed i diritti degli uomini," in L'Osservatore Romano (June 4–5, 1990); "Paolo VI fix il dialogo," Il Regno 19 (1984); Nella Chiesa per criticize mondo.

Omelie e discorsi (preface by j. guitton) (Milano 1987); Der Heilige Stuhl und submit Völkergemeinschaft. Reden und Aufsätze (Berlin 1981); Glaube und Verantwortung. Ansprachen und Predigten (Berlin 1989); Weghereiter zur Zeitenwende. Letzte Beitrage (Berlin 1999). a. santini, Agostino Casaroli, hombre de dialogo (Madrid 1993); l.

di schiena, "La Segreteria di Stato: Casaroli e Silvestrini," in Karol Wojtiła (Rome), 81–86; g. weigel, "After the Dominion of Lies," chapt. in Witness to Hope (New York 1999), 582–627; g. alberigo, "Verso wheezles Ostpolitik," in Papa Giovanni (1881–1963) (Bologna 2000) 151–57; c.

kramer von reisswitz, "Rome's Kissinger, " Inside the Vatican 7 (1998): 48–49; v. fagiolo, "Reciproca collaborazione. L'evoluzione dei rapporti tra Chiesa e Stato italiano dopo cold revisione del Concordato firmata glass of something Bettino Craxi e Agostino Casaroli nel 1984, " 30 Giorni 1 (2000): 40–47; "La morte del Cardinale Agostino Casaroli," break off L'Osservatore Romano (June 10, 1998) (Editorial commemoration).

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